Christ's 
Social  Remedies 


Harry  Earl  Montgomery 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

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http://www.archive.org/details/christssocialremOOmontiala 


By  Harry  Earl  Montgomery 


VITAL  AMERICAN  PROBLEMS 

An  Attempt    to   Solve    the    "  Trust,"   "  Labor  '* 
and  "Negro"  Problems 

CHRIST'S  SOCIAL  REMEDIES 


^HRIST'S  SOCIAL 
REMEDIES 


BY 


HARRY  EARL  MONTGOMERY 

AUTHOR   OF  "VITAL  AMERICAN   PROBLEMS" 


G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS 
NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON 
Zbe   ftnlckerboc^er   prees 


1911 


♦A^ 


Copyright,  191  i 

BY 

HARRY  EARL  MONTGOMERY 


TTbe  ftnfcfierbocfter  |>te00,  Dew  fiocft 


CONTENTS 


I.- 

— Responsibility  of  Citizenship 

I 

II.- 

—Was  Christ  an  Anarchist? 

19 

IIL- 

—Was  Christ  a  Socialist?  , 

31 

IV.- 

—The  Kingdom  of  God 

115 

V.- 

— Non-Resistance 

139 

VI.- 

—Marriage  and  Divorce    . 

159 

VII.- 

—Crime  and  the  Criminal  . 

201 

VIII.- 

—Wealth 

247 

IX.- 

—Labour    

301 

X.- 

—Sunday  Observance 

331 

XI.- 

—International  Controversies 

345 

XIL- 

—Social  Reconstruction    . 

389 

Index      

.     411 

iii 


RESPONSIBILITY  OF  CITIZENSHIP 


RESPONSIBILITY  OF  CITIZENSHIP 

IN  1787,  the  delegates  selected  by  the  people 
of  the  various  American  states  assembled  in 
general  convention  at  the  city  of  Philadelphia 
and  prepared  a  plan  of  government  which  they 
submitted  to  the  people  for  ratification.  After 
a  period  of  heated  discussion,  the  proposed  con- 
stitution was  finally  ratified  and  formally  adopted 
by  the  free  voice  of  the  people  of  the  original 
thirteen  states,  and  the  American  nation  was 
bom. 

The  Federal  Constitution  is  a  body  of  definite 
powers  specifically  delegated  by  the  people, 
creating  a  form  of  government,  national  in  its 
scope,  and,  to  the  extent  of  its  powers,  absolute 
and  supreme.  All  power  residing  in  the  sover- 
eignty of  the  people,  not  delegated  to  the  Fed- 
eral government,  was  distinctly  retained  and 
reserved  by  them. 

For  its  life  and  preservation,  the  Federal  Gov- 
ernment rests  upon  the  expressed  will  of  the 
citizens  of  the  United  States.  The  people  alone 
have  the  right  to  change  or  to  abolish  it,  a  right 
they  may  exercise  at  any  time  in  the  way  pro- 
vided by  the  Federal  Constitution. 


2  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

The  State  constitutions  and  all  laws,  in  like 
manner,  exist  through  the  wishes  of  the  people  of 
the  several  States,  and,  within  the  expressed  limits 
prescribed  by  the  Federal  Constitution,  may  be 
changed  or  repealed  at  the  peoples'  will. 

The  basis,  therefore,  upon  which  the  Federal 
Government,  State  constitutions,  and  all  laws  rest 
is  the  wish  and  desire  of  the  American  people. 

Regarding  this  wish  and  desire,  called  "public 
opinion,"  Hon.  James  Bryce  has  said: 

"  Public  opinion  has  really  been  the  chief  and 
ultimate  power  in  nearly  all  nations  at  nearly  all 
times. 

"The  difference  between  despotically-governed  and 
free  countries  does  not  exist  in  the  fact  that  the  latter 
are  niled  by  opinion  and  the  former  by  force,  for  both 
are  generally  ruled  by  opinion.  It  consists  rather 
in  this,  that  in  the  former  the  people  instinctively 
obey  a  power  which  they  do  not  know  to  be  really  of 
their  own  creation,  and  to  stand  by  their  own  per- 
mission, whereas  in  the  latter  the  people  feel  their 
supremacy,  and  consciously  treat  their  rulers  as 
their  agents;  while  the  rulers  obey  a  power  which 
they  admit  to  have  made  and  to  be  able  to  unmake 
them — the  popular  will. 

"Towering  over  Presidents  and  State  Governors, 
over  Congress  and  State  Legislatures,  over  conven- 
tions and  the  vast  machinery  of  party,  public  opinion 
stands  out,  in  the  United  States,  as  the  great  source  of 
power,  the  master  of  servants  who  tremble  before  it."* 

*  Am.  Commonwealth,  2  ed.  Rev.  vol.  ii.,  pp.  247,  249,  255. 


Responsibility  of  Citzenship  3 

Public  opinion  is  "the  judgment  of  a  self-con- 
scious community  upon  any  subject  of  general 
interest."^  It  is  not,  however,  "the  arithmetical 
sum  of  the  opinions  of  the  individuals  who  com- 
pose the  society,"  but  "many  opinions  mutually 
modify  each  other,  and  result  in  a  common  con- 
viction which  may  differ  in  some  degree  from 
that  of  each  person  involved."* 

Public  opinion  may  be  likened  to  a  composite 
portrait,  made  by  the  printing,  one  over  another, 
of  photographic  negatives  of  different  persons, 
resulting  in  a  portrait  which  is  easily  distinguish- 
able from  any  of  the  likenesses  which  helped  to 
form  it,  but  in  which  each  one  has  exercised  a 
material  influence.  It  may  also  be  likened  to 
the  music  of  an  orchestra,  made  up,  as  it  is,  of 
divergent  but  related  sounds.  Each  instrument 
directly  affects  the  music  of  the  orchestra  by  its 
tone  and  volume;  the  larger  the  orchestra,  the 
less  effect  the  individual  instrument  may  exert, 
but  that  each  instrument  contributes  to  the  re- 
sultant sounds  is  beyond  question. 

Public  opinion,  the  social  orchestral  music,  the 
composite  photograph  of  the  co-operative  in- 
dividuals composing  the  society,  is  the  omnipotent 
American  sovereign,  to  whose  voice  all  listen  and 
to  whose  commands  all  submit. 

'  Sociology,  by  Prof.  Giddings,  p.  138. 

» Introduction  to  the  Study  of  Society,  by  Small  &  Vincent, 
p.  307. 


4  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Effect  of  Public  Opinion  on  Individual 
Opinion. — The  individual,  consciously  or  uncon- 
sciously, adheres  largely  to  the  prevailing  social 
traditions,  customs,  rules,  and  forms  affecting  the 
questions  of  housing,  clothing,  eating,  and  general 
deportment.  Not  only  in  the  outward  mani- 
festation of  his  life  does  the  individual  conform 
to  social  rules  and  customs,  but  also  in  his  atti- 
tude toward  many  great  questions,  religious, 
social,  and  political,  does  he  unconsciously  adopt 
the  accepted  social  teachings. 

"A  man  is  a  social  outcome  rather  than  a  social 
unit,"  writes  Professor  Baldwin.  "He  is  always, 
in  his  greatest  part,  also  some  one  else.  Social  acts 
of  his — that  is,  acts  which  may  not  prove  anti-social — 
are  his  because  they  are  society's  first;  otherwise  he 
would  not  have  learned  them  nor  have  had  any  tend- 
ency to  do  them.  Everything  that  he  learns  is 
copied,  reproduced,  assimilated  from  his  fellows:  and 
what  all  of  them  including  him — all  his  fellows,  the 
socii — do  and  think,  they  do  and  think  because  they 
have  each  been  through  the  same  course  of  copying, 
reproducing,  assimilating,  that  he  has."* 

Formation     of     Individual     Opinion. — ^To 

create  an  opinion  out  of  our  inner  process  of 
thought  which  is  unaffected  and  uninfluenced 
by  the  opinions  of  others,  is  practically  an  im- 
possibility. Our  attitude  toward  a  question  is 
determined  largely  by  hereditary  traits,  general 

'  Social  and  Ethical  Interpretations,  p.  8 1. 


Responsibility  of  Citizenship  5 

environment,  early  teachings,  companions,  books, 
work,  and  the  society  in  which  we  live.  Our 
opinion  may  be  the  result  of  careful  study  of 
other  men's  opinions  combined  with  deep  per- 
sonal thinking,  or  it  may  be  the  wholesale  adop- 
tion of  the  views  of  some  one  else,  but  in  any  case, 
it  is  formed  largely  from  the  teachings  of  society 
or  from  the  teachings  conveyed  through  the 
written  page  or  through  the  voice  of  friends,  com- 
panions, and  public  speakers. 

Mr.  George  E.  Vincent,  in  the  following  words, 
has  described  the  usual  way  in  which  individual 
opinion  is  formed : 

"You  read  the  morning  paper  and  you  have  certain 
impulses,  certain  ideas  come  to  yoiir  mind  as  a  result 
of  your  habits,  of  your  past  experiences,  of  your 
business  interests;  and  then  you  go  out  on  the  street 
and  meet  a  man  and  you  raise  the  question  with  him 
and  he  quite  agrees  with  you  and  you  are  quite  sure 
that  you  are  absolutely  right.  You  meet  another  man 
and  he  agrees  and  then  yotir  impression  is  deepened. 
And  you  meet  another  man  who  says  you  are  entirely 
on  the  wrong  track.  Then  your  idea  is  weakened. 
You  go  on  and  meet  another  man,  good  friend  of  yotus, 
who  suggests  that  you  are  completely  off,  that  you  are 
overworking,  that  your  mind  is  going  to  give  way. 
Then  you  are  n't  at  all  sure  about  that  conviction. 
Then  you  go  on  and  meet  another  person  who  says, 
'Where  did  you  get  that  absurd  notion?  Absolutely 
wrong.  This  is  the  thing  to  believe.'  Then  you  go 
away  somewhere,  and,  as  Mr.  Dooley  says, '  you  throw 


6  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

your  idea  in  the  alley  when  nobody  is  looking.*  Or, 
you  may  go  on  during  the  day  and  you  get  testimony, 
you  get  suggestion ;  these  suggestions  bear  upon  you ; 
part  of  them  lead  to  one  thing,  part  to  another.  You 
modify  your  view ;  it  is  moulded ;  it  is  plastic  in  your 
mind;  this  man  adds  a  little  here,  that  man  on  that 
side.  So  the  thing  during  the  day  is  moulded  until 
toward  night  you  begin  to  have  a  conviction.  Then 
you  come  home  and  you  have  a  conviction.  President 
Wilson  of  Princeton  has  put  this  in  a  capable  way. 
He  says  that  things  have  to  be  discussed  interjection- 
ally  at  the  breakfast  table — notice  the  adjective — 
a  man  says,  'Well,  I  declare.  For  Heaven's  sake, 
what  is  coming  next?' — then  laconically  on  the  street, 
desultorily  on  the  street-car  and  then  •  dogmatically 
at  dinner.  You  see  the  picture  of  the  man  coming 
home  and  letting  his  wife  and  children  know  the  real 
truth  about  it — what  papa  thinks — oh,  what  papa 
thinks — think  of  being  an  oracle  to  your  children, 
and  yet  you  are  behind  the  scenes  and  you  know  how 
you  got  that  conviction  and  you  know  it  was  sug- 
gested to  you."^ 

Dr.  Arthur  Twining  Hadley  has  well  said: 

"We  are  affected  by  the  judgment  of  those  about  us, 
whether  we  will  or  no,  and  many  of  those  who  most 
loudly  protest  that  they  are  living  their  life  for  them- 
selves are  really  just  as  much  affected  as  any  one  else. 
*  If  the  foot  shall  say,  Because  I  am  not  the  hand  I  am 
not  of  the  body,  is  it  therefore  not  of  the  body? ' 
Amid  the  daily  contact  of  our  social  life  habits  of 

*  Address  before  Liberal  Club  of  Buffalo,  1904. 


Responsibility  of  Citizenship  7 

thought,  standards  of  value,  subtle  influences  in  the 
estimate  of  right  and  wrong,  pass  from  man  to  man 
just  as  quietly  and  unconsciously  as  the  blood  passes 
from  one  part  of  the  body  to  another,  bearing  seeds 
of  life  or  death  to  the  whole  body,  as  the  case  may 
be."x 

Effect  of  Individual  Opinion  on  Public 
Opinion. — Diderot,  in  1775,  in  a  letter  to  Neckar, 
said: 

"Opinion!  that  volatile  something,  with  whose 
power  for  good  and  for  evil  we  are  all  acquainted, 
in  its  origin  is  nothing  but  the  work  of  a  small  number 
of  men  who  speak  only  after  having  thought  and 
who  continually  form  in  different  sections  of  society 
centres  of  instruction,  from  whence  both  errors  and 
reasoned  truths  are  disseminated  Uttle  by  little  to  the 
farthest  limits  of  the  city  in  which  they  are  estab- 
lished, as  articles  of  faith."' 

The  history  of  the  temperance  movement  in 
the  United  States  is  illustrative  of  the  way  in 
which  individual  opinion  affects  public  opinion. 

A  hundred  years  ago,  social  drinking  was  com- 
mon and  very  generally  practised,  even  by  min- 
isters and  church  members,  with  the  approval  of 
pubHc  opinion. 

At  that  time,  a  few  citizens  began  to  collect 
facts  as  to  the  use  of  liquor  and  its  injurious  effect 

*  Baccalaureate' Addresses,  pp.  205,  206. 
»  Quoted  by  Tarde,  op.  cit.,  p.  83. 


8  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

on  the  individual  and  on  society,  and  person- 
ally refrained  from  drinking.  They  taught  their 
children  to  practice  total  abstinence,  urged  their 
friends  to  abstain  from  drinking,  and  gradually 
won  recruits  to  their  views.  These  recruits,  in 
turn,  became  missionaries  of  the  temperance 
cause,  vigorously  carried  on  this  crusade  through 
the  passing  years,  and  gradually  modified  general 
opinion  with  regard  to  the  drinking  habit.  After 
a  century  of  agitation,  public  opinion  on  this 
subject  has  grown  in  strength  and  power  until 
total  abstinence  is  now  practiced  largely  through- 
out the  United  States,  and  legal  prohibition  of 
the  manufacture  and  sale  of  liquor  has  been 
adopted  in  many  of  the  Western  and  Southern 
States,  and  in  certain  localities  in  the  North. 
Prof.  Jeremiah  W.  Jenks  has  said: 

"Few  people  who  have  not  made  the  effort  have 
any  clear  conception  as  to  the  amount  of  influence, 
especially  on  local  matters,  that  one  individual  may 
exert  by  a  little  judicious  talk  with  a  few  men  of 
influence  in  different  classes  of  society.  I  have  more 
than  once  seen  one  man  within  two  days  practically 
change,  or  formulate,  one  might  better  say,  the  opin- 
ion of  a  large  part  of  a  community  by  a  dozen  conver- 
sations with  as  many  different  men,  each  representing 
some  special  social  or  business  class."* 

"From  a  modem  economic  point  of  view  there  is  no 

*  Guidance  of  Public  Opinion,  Am.  Journal  of  Sociology,  vol. 
i,  p.  165. 


Responsibility  of  Citizenship  9 

such  thing,  in  strictness,  as  a  mere  individual," 
writes  Rev.  Washington  Gladden.  "Market  prices, 
wages,  profits — all  these  are  social,  not  individual, 
products.  Every  one's  economic  acts  more  or  less 
affect  every  one  else;  and  every  one  is  dependent 
on  others  for  the  means  of  economic  action.  The 
market  price  of  a  loaf  of  bread,  of  a  day's  labour,  is 
fixed  not  by  the  individual,  but  by  the  social  organism. 
A  thousand  different  forces  combine  to  determine  it. 
The  social  estimate  of  what  your  day's  work  is  worth 
— that  is  what  your  day's  work  will  bring  you.  Thus 
society  continually  acts  upon  you,  shaping  the  issues 
of  your  life.  And  you,  by  yo\ir  choices  and  efforts, 
are  as  constantly  acting  upon  society.  By  what  you 
do,  by  what  you  say,  by  what  you  are,  society  is 
affected  in  its  economical,  its  ethical,  its  political, 
interests.  Most  true  is  it — how  much  more  true 
to-day  than  when  the  great  apostle  said  it — that 
no  man  liveth  to  himself."' 

Possessing,  as  we  do,  the  power  to  mould  public 
opinion,  the  non-use  of  such  power  is  only  equalled 
in  its  deterrent  effect  by  its  misuse. 

John  Stuart  Mill  in  his  address  at  St.  Andrew's 
in  1867,  said: 

"Let  not  any  one  pacify  his  conscience  by  the  delu- 
sion that  he  can  do  no  harm  if  he  takes  no  part  and 
forms  no  opinion.  Bad  men  need  nothing  more  to 
compass  their  ends  than  that  good  men  should  look  on 
and  do  nothing.  He  is  not  a  good  man  who,  without 
a  protest,  allows  wrong  to  be  committed  in  his  name, 

'  Christianity  and  Socialism,  p.  167. 


10  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

and  with  the  means  which  he  helps  to  supply  because 
he  will  not  trouble  himself  to  use  his  mind  on  the 
subject." 

The  responsibility  resting  upon  the  individual 
for  holding  correct  opinions  on  the  vital  questions 
of  the  day  is  tremendous,  because  of  the  fact  that 
the  individual  is  constantly  affecting  the  opinions 
of  others  and  assisting  in  the  formation  of  public 
opinion.  Since  this  great  responsibility  rests 
upon  our  shoulders,  when  and  how  can  we  obtain 
correct  views? 

If  we  turn  to  China  where  the  teachings  of 
Confucius  rule  almost  supreme,  what  condi- 
tions do  we  find?  We  find  the  Chinese  people 
living  unprogressive,  narrow,  selfish  lives  with 
feelings  and  interests  restricted  to  the  family 
circle.  "Thou  shalt  not"  do  this  and  "thou 
shalt  not"  do  that,  is  the  sum  total  of  the  teach- 
ings of  Confucius.  Serviceableness  is  limited  to 
the  family,  and  indifference  is  the  only  attitude 
taken  towards  the  Hfe  and  suffering  of  others. 
China,  living  as  it  does  according  to  the  teachings 
of  Confucius,  is  a  backward,  unenviable  nation. 

If  we  turn  to  India,  where  the  teachings  of 
Buddha  and  Brahma  govern  the  lives  of  the 
people,  we  find  ignorance,  unprogressiveness,  sel- 
fishness, caste,  immorality,  and  general  degrada- 
tion rampant. 

If  we  turn  to  Turkey  and  Arabia,  we  find 
that  the  teachings  of  Mohammed  have  degraded 


Responsibility  of  Citizenship        1 1 

womanhood;  and  where  womanhood,  the  source 
of  the  social  life,  is  defiled,  individual  Hfe,  social 
life,  and  national  life  must  necessarily  be  on  a 
low  plane. 

Through  the  ages  many  of  the  great  philosophers 
propounded  theories  of  righteousness  upon  which 
they  attempted  to  build  systems  of  morality  for 
the  uplift  and  regeneration  of  mankind.  Their 
treatises  have  attracted  attention,  and  some  few 
have  endeavoured  to  live  by  their  precepts,  but 
their  theories  as  guiding  forces  have  passed  out 
of  the  lives  of  men,  and  are  relegated  to  the  curio- 
cabinets  which  contain  the  unworkable  formulas 
for  the  regulation  of  Hfe. 

James  Martineau  asserts  that  Jesus  Christ  may 
be  called  "The  regenerator  of  the  himian  race. 
The  world  has  changed,"  he  says,  "and  that 
change  is  historically  traceable  to  Christ." 

Certain  it  is,  that  the  transformation  which 
society  has  undergone  cannot  be  accounted  for 
apart  from  the  teachings  of  Christ.  "Many 
great  men,"  as  Professor  Jenks  has  put  it,  "have 
deeply  affected  the  history  of  the  world.  Jesus 
has  changed  the  fundamental  nature  of  society." 

Christ  came  to  proclaim  the  sacredness  of  man- 
hood and  womanhood,  the  infinite  worth  of  the 
individual,  as  the  child  of  God,  and  His  teach- 
ings constitute  the  basis  of  present  day  civilisa- 
tion. His  teaching  that  human  brotherhood  exists 
between   the  people  of  every  race,  colour,  and 


12  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

condition  of  life,  has  broken  the  bonds  of  slavery 
and  unshackled  the  limbs  of  man.  In  no  Christian 
land  to-day,  is  there  to  be  found  a  slave,  and  it  is 
only  in  coiuitries  where  the  teachings  of  other 
religious  leaders  are  supreme  that  slavery  exists. 

"Charity  was  one  of  the  earliest,  as  it  was  one 
of  the  noblest,  creations  of  Christianity,"  writes 
Lecky.^  Not  the  mere  casting  of  alms,  but  the 
giving  of  self  along  with  the  material  gifts,  was 
the  distinguishing  feature  of  the  teachings  of 
Christ. 

Love  to  man  as  undergirding  life  was  funda- 
mental in  Christ's  gospel,  and  that  teaching  of 
love  has  been  the  force  which  has  built  hospitals, 
asylums,  and  homes  for  the  poof  and  the  aged,  and 
transformed  savagery  into  civilisation. 

James  Russell  Lowell  has  said: 

"The  worst  kind  of  religion  is  no  religion  at  all,  and 
these  men  living  in  ease  and  luxury,  indulging  them- 
selves in  the  amusement  of  going  without  religion,  may 
be  thankful  that  they  live  in  lands  where  the  Gospel 
they  neglect  has  tamed  the  beastliness  and  ferocity 
of  the  men  who,  but  for  Christianity,  might  long  ago 
have  eaten  their  carcasses  like  the  South  Sea  Islanders, 
or  cut  oflE  their  heads  and  tanned  their  hides  like  the 
monsters  of  the  French  Revolution.  When  the  micro- 
scopic search  of  skepticism,  which  had  hunted  the 
heavens  and  sounded  the  seas  to  disprove  the  existence 
of  a  Creator,   has  turned  its  attention  to  human 

*  W.  E.  H.  Lecky,  Rationalism  in  Europe,  ii.,  p.  236 


Responsibility  of  Citizenship        13 

society  and  has  found  a  place  on  this  planet  ten  miles 
square  where  a  decent  man  can  live  in  comfort 
and  security,  supporting  and  educating  his  children 
unspoiled  and  unpolluted ;  a  place  where  age  is  rever- 
enced, infancy  protected,  manhood  respected,  wo- 
manhood honoured,  and  human  life  held  in  due  regard ; 
when  skeptics  can  find  such  a  place  ten  miles  square 
on  this  globe,  where  the  Gospel  of  Christ  has  not 
gone  and  cleared  the  way  and  laid  the  foundation 
and  made  decency  and  security  possible,  it  will  then 
be  in  order  for  the  skeptical  literati  to  move  thither 
and  there  ventilate  their  views. "  ^ 

If  we  compare  the  teachings  of  Christ  with 
those  of  the  world's  greatest  leaders  in  philoso- 
phy, eloquence,  and  song,  as  to  their  regenerative 
effect  on  the  lives  of  mankind,  we  will  be  com- 
pelled to  admit  that  Christ  "  spoke  as  never  man 
spake." 

Since  the  days  of  Constantine,  Christianity 
has  been  the  professed  religion  of  all  civilised 
nations.  It  was  officially  accepted  by  the 
Roman  Empire  on  the  eve  of  its  downfall,  and 
since  that  time  it  has  shaped  and  moulded  the 
social  life  of  all  European  coimtries  as  well  as 
formed  the  basis  of  American  social  life;  and  it 
may  be  stated,  without  fear  of  contradiction,  that 
Christianity  has  inspired  the  present-day  religious, 
ethical,  juridical,  and  philosophical  ideas  of  man. 
Daniel  Webster  in  the  "Girard  Will  case"  de- 

*  Quoted  from  The  Deathless  Book,  by  D.  O.  Mears,  p.  296. 


14  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

clared:  "The  Christian  religion,  in  its  general 
principles,  must  ever  be  regarded  among  us  as  the 
foundation  of  civil  society." 

The  late  President  Anderson  of  the  University 
of  Rochester,  in  a  paper  before  the  American 
Social  Science  Association,  said: 

"As  every  civil  code,  in  its  formation  and  growth, 
adopts  the  moral  code  of  the  people  for  which  it 
furnishes  the  rules  of  government,  so  the  common 
law  of  England  and  the  United  States  has  absorbed 
and  is  still  absorbing  into  itself  the  moral  principles 
of  Christianity.  Hence  the  Christian  system  is  the 
moral  source  of  an  undetermined  but  very  large  part 
of  our  common  as  well  as  of  our  statute  law.  In  this 
sense,  Christianity  has  contributed  enormously  to 
the  common  law,  and  also  to  the  code  of  Justinian, 
and  the  legal  systems  of  all  Christendom." 

Rev.  Newell  Dwight  Hillis  has  written: 

"Take  the  seed  idea  and  the  mother  principles  of 
Christianity  out  of  the  last  one  thousand  years  of 
time,  and  society's  storehouse,  called  galleries  and 
libraries,  would  be  emptied.  An  English  Jurist 
tells  of  falling  asleep  and  dreaming  that  every  Christ- 
ian idea  had  been  stricken  out  of  his  law-books. 
Opening  the  familiar  books,  he  found  one  third  of 
each  page  blank,  and  all  pages  meaningless.  Thus, 
if  by  divine  fiat  every  Christian  idea  should  be  blotted 
out  of  the  library,  the  museum,  the  statute  books, 
all  would  become  meaningless.  The  very  structure  of 
civilisation   would   crumble   into   a   heap   of   ruins. 


Responsibility  of  Citizenship        15 

Eloquence,  song,  laws,  reforms,  civic  virtues,  would 
fall  with  the  fall  of  the  great  ideas  that  produced 
them."* 

Since,  therefore,  the  stability  and  the  continu- 
ance of  our  system  of  government  and  human  up- 
lift and  racial  advancement  are  conditioned  on  a 
high  and  lofty  public  opinion,  and  since  public 
opinion  is  made  up  of  individual  opinions,  and 
since  the  teachings  of  Christ  have  proved  the 
one  great  civilising,  ennobling,  character-building 
force  in  the  world,  it  becomes  the  duty  of  every 
man,  as  a  lover  of  his  coimtry  and  of  mankind, 
to  endeavour  to  obtain  right,  correct  and  just 
opinions,  by  ascertaining  what  bearing  Christ's 
teachings  have  upon  the  live  industrial,  political, 
and  social  questions  of  the  present  day. 

"Leam  what  is  true,"  said  Huxley,  "in  order  to 
do  what  is  right,  is  the  simiming  up  of  the  whole 
duty  of  man." 

Without  a  clear  and  accurate  knowledge  of  the 
teachings  of  Christ  upon  the  great  social  and  in- 
dustrial questions  of  to-day,  we  will  be  unable  to 
fulfil  our  highest  duties  as  American  citizens;  but 
when  groimded  in  a  knowledge  of  the  teachings 
of  the  Master,  we  will  be  prepared  to  live  as 
worthy  citizens  of  this  great  American  republic. 

*  The  Influence  of  Christ  in  Modern  Life,  p.  56. 


WAS  CHRIST  AN  ANARCHIST  ? 


17 


WAS  CHRIST  AN  ANARCHIST? 

ANARCHY,  as  a  term  of  political  philosophy, 
has  nothing  to  do  with  disorder  or  crime; 
it  is  but  the  logical  outcome  of  that  form  of  politi- 
cal theory  known  as  "individualism." 

One  of  the  founders  of  scientific  Anarchy  was 
Rabelais,  whose  teachings  are  summed  up  in  the 
axiom,  "Do  what  you  will."  He  was  succeeded 
in  leadership  by  the  Anabaptist  Munzer,  who 
declared  the  principle:  "To  each  one,  accord- 
ing to  his  needs  and  possibilities."  After  him 
came  La  Boetie  who  proclaimed  the  right  of  the 
individual  to  absolute  liberty.  He  was  followed 
by  La  Fontaine,  who  enunciated  the  famous  say- 
ing: "Our  enemy  is,  the  Master";  and  it  was 
Diderot  who  completed  it  by  adding:  "Nature 
has  created  neither  servants  nor  masters.  I  wish 
neither  to  oppose  nor  to  lend  obedience  to  laws." 

It  was  Max  Stimer,  however,  who  first  formu- 
lated the  scattered  teachings  of  anarchy  into  a 
complete  definite  system.  His  philosophy  may 
be  summed  up  in  these  words: 

"What  you  have  the  power  to  be,  that  you  have 
the  right  to  be.     I  derive  all  right  and  justification 

19 


20  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

from  myself  alone;  for  I  am  entitled  to  everything 
which  I  have  power  to  take  or  to  do.  I  am  entitled  to 
overthrow  Zeus,  Jehovah  or  God,  if  I  can;  if  I  can 
not,  these  gods  will  always  retain  their  rights  and 
power  over  me;  but  I  shall  stand  in  awe  of  their 
rights  and  their  power  in  impotent  reverence,  and 
shall  keep  their  commands  and  believe  I  am  doing 
right  in  everything  that  I  do,  according  to  their  ideas 
of  right,  just  as  a  Russian  frontier  sentry  considers 
himself  justified  in  shooting  dead  a  suspicious  person 
who  runs  away,  because  he  relies  upon  a  'higher 
authority,'  in  other  words,  commits  murder  legally. 
But  I  am  justified  in  committing  a  murder  by  myself, 
if  I  do  not  forbid  it  to  myself,  if  I  am  not  afraid  of 
murder  in  the  abstract  as  of  'something  wrong.' 
I  am  only  not  justified  in  what  I  do  not  do  of  my  own 
free  will,  that  is,  that  which  I  do  not  give  myself  the 
right  to  do.  I  decide  whether  the  right  resides  in  me; 
for  there  is  some  right  external  to  myself.  If  it 
is  right  to  me,  then  it  is  right.  It  is  possible  that 
others  may  not  regard  it  as  right,  but  that  is  their 
affair,  not  mine,  and  they  must  take  their  own  meas- 
ures against  it.  And  if  something  was  in  the  eyes 
of  the  whole  world  not  right,  and  yet  seemed  right  to 
me,  that  is,  if  I  wished  it,  even  then  I  should  ask 
nothing  from  the  world :  thus  does  everyone  who  knows 
how  to  value  himself,  and  each  does  it  to  the  extent 
that  he  is  an  egotist,  for  might  goes  before  right, 
and  quite  rightly  too.  .  .  .  State,  religion,  and  con- 
science, these  despots  make  me  a  slave,  and  their 
freedom  is  my  slavery."^ 

'Quoted  from  Anarchism,  by  E.  V.  Zenker,   1897,  pp.  113, 
114,  118,  119. 


Was  Christ  an  Anarchist?  21 

Stimer's  exposition  was  enlarged  by  Pierre 
Joseph  Proudhon  who  declared  that  "Govern- 
ments are  the  scourge  of  God,"  and  that  there 
should  exist  "no  government  by  men  by  means  of 
the  accumulation  of  power."  He  claimed  that  a 
government  should  exercise  no  authority  save 
that  of  securing  to  each  individual  full  liberty  to 
do  as  he  may  desire,  unrestrained  by  external 
authority. 

Proudhon  stopped  at  defining  what  he  believed 
to  be  the  ideal  state,  and  it  remained  for  Prince 
Michael  Bakunin  to  suggest  the  means  for  or- 
ganising an  anarchistic  society. 

"The  freedom  of  man,"  says  Bakunin,  "consists 
solely  in  following  natural  laws,  because  he  has  recog- 
nised them  himself  as  such,  and  not  because  they  are 
imposed  upon  him  from  without  by  the  will  of  another, 
whether  divine  or  human,  collective  or  individual. 
.  .  .  We  reject  all  legislation,  every  authority,  and 
every  privilege,  recognised  official  and  legal  influence, 
even  if  it  has  proceeded  from  the  exercise  of  universal 
suffrage,  since  it  could  only  benefit  a  ruling  and  ex- 
ploiting minority  against  the  interests  of  the  great 
enslaved  majority. "  * 

In  1869,  the  "International  Alliance  of  Socialist 
Democracy"  was  organised  by  Bakunin,  and  in  its 
adopted  programme  demanded,  "the  suppression 
of  all  political,  judicial,  and  civil,  organisations; 
the    substitution    of    science    for    faith,    and    of 

»  Quoted  from  Anarchism,  by  E,  V.  Zenker,  1897,  p.  156. 


22  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

human  justice  for  divine;  the  abolition  of  creeds 
and  of  marriage,  in  so  far  as  a  religious  institu- 
tion; the  political  and  economic  equalisation  of 
classes  and  individuals  of  both  sexes ;  the  abolition 
of  ownership,  of  inheritance,  etc.,  so  that  the 
enjoyment  of  each  one  shall  be  proportionate  to 
his  productivity." 

In  1 87 1,  the  Alliance  was  succeeded  by  the 
Federation  of  the  Jura,  which,  in  the  platform 
adopted  at  its  convention  in  1876,  declared  that 
"no  longer  does  anything  exist,  neither  property 
nor  the  state,  nor  any  authority  whatsoever, "  and 
insisted  upon  "the  necessity  of  forming  a  society 
in  which  the  individual  shall  no  longer  depend  on 
any  one  but  himself,  his  will  shall  not  have  any 
restrictions,  and  shall  not  be  hampered  in  any  way 
whatsoever  by  the  will  of  his  fellow  men." 

The  modem  school  of  anarchism  places  its 
main  emphasis  on  the  principle  of  destroying  all 
existing  laws  including,  of  course,  the  various 
forms  of  government.  Peter  Kropatkin  has 
stated  that  all  law  and  dominion,  including 
parliamentary  government,  must  be  put  aside 
and  be  replaced  by  the  "system  of  no  govern- 
ment," and  free  arrangement. 

"Each  must  retain  the  right  of  acting  as  he  thinks 
best, "  he  says,  "and  the  right  of  society  to  punish  any 
one  for  a  social  action  in  any  way  must  be  denied.  .  .  . 
We  do  not  shrink  from  saying :  Do  what  pleases  you ! 
Act  as  you  think  fit!  for  we  are  convinced  that  the 


Was  Christ  an  Anarchist  ?  23 

great  majority  of  mankind,  in  proportion  to  their 
enlightenment  and  to  the  completeness  with  which 
they  throw  off  their  present  fetters,  will  always  act 
in  a  manner  beneficial  to  society."  "We  do  not 
want  to  be  governed!  and  do  we  not  thereby  declare 
that  we  ourselves  wish  to  rule  no  one.  "* 

Anarchy,  to  use  the  words  of  Prof.  Huxley,  is 
"a  state  of  society  in  which  the  rule  of  each  in- 
dividual by  himself  is  the  only  government  the 
legitimacy  of  which  is  recognised."^ 

"Anarchy  is  not  inconsistent  with  association,  but 
only  with  enforced  association,"  declares  W.  H. 
Salter.  "  It  means  simply  a  state  of  society  in  which 
no  one  is  bound  or  obliged  to  do  anything  (whether  to 
associate  with  others  or  anything  else) ;  it  is  not  op- 
posed to  order,  but  only  to  enforced  order,  nor  to  rule, 
but  only  to  obligatory  rule.  In  other  words,  it  is 
synonjnnous  with  liberty.  Under  such  a  system, 
individuals  would  simply  be  left  free  to  do  as  they 
chose;  compulsion  would  disappear;  the  only  bonds  in 
society  would  be  moral  bonds.  "^ 

On  the  other  hand,  government  is  an  organised 
force  backed  by  the  will  of  the  people;  it  is  the 
rule  of  a  superior  which  an  inferior  is  bound  to 
obey;  it  is  "the  subjection  of  the  non-invasive  in- 
dividual to  an  external  will."'* 

'  Quoted  from  Anarchism,  E.  V.  Zenker,  1897,  pp.  178,  179. 

'  Method  and  Results,  1906,  p.  393. 

'  Anarchy  or  Government,  p.  7. 

*  Instead  of  a  Book,  by  B.  R.  Tucker,  p.  233. 


24  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Government  is  "the  exercise  of  authority  in 
the  administration  of  the  affairs  of  a  state,  com- 
munity, or  society;  the  authoritative  direction 
and  restraint  exercised  over  the  actions  of  men 
in  communities,  societies,  or  states."^  "It  is  rule, 
not  only  for  those  who  voluntarily  submit  them- 
selves to  it,  but  for  all  the  members  of  a  com- 
munity or  society.  .  .  .  Those  subject  to  it  are 
not  free  to  obey  it  or  not,  as  they  like;  they  are 
bound  to  obey — if  not  actively,  then  passively 
by  submitting  to  physical  penalties  (for  disobe- 
dience)."^ 

Anarchy  implies  a  state  of  absolute  liberty  and 
unrestricted  freedom  wherein  the  individual  may 
do  as  he  wishes  unhampered  by  any  being  or 
power.  Government  implies  the  enforced  applica- 
tion of  rules  and  regulations  to  the  life  and  activity 
of  the  individual.  Anarchy  teaches  that  every  man 
is  a  king,  a  czar,  an  emperor,  and  free  to  do  as  he 
likes,  but  at  his  own  peril.  Government  teaches 
that  every  man  is  subject  to  a  higher  power  than 
himself  and  is  free  to  do  only  the  things  which  are 
not  specifically  denied  to  him.  "Anarchy  means 
the  negation  of  authority"^;  government  means 
the  affirmation  of  authority. 

Was  Christ  an  Anarchist? — Ernest  Renan 
has  written:  "In  one  view  Jesus  was  an  anarchist, 

*  Century  Dictionary. 

'  Anarchy  or  Government,  by  W.  N.  Salter,  pp.  4,  5. 

3  Jean  Grave,  La  Societe  mourante  et  /'  Anarchie,  p.  i. 


Was  Christ  in  Anarchist?  2$ 

for  he  had  no  notion  of  civil  government,  which 
seemed  to  him  an  abuse,  pure  and  simple."' 

Count  Leon  Tolstoi  has  said:  "The  doctrine 
of  humility,  pardon,  and  love,  is  incompatible  with 
the  State,  with  its  arrogance,  its  deeds  of  violence, 
its  executions,  its  wars.  Real  Christianity  not 
only  excludes  the  possibility  of  acknowledging 
the  State,  but  also  destroys  its  fotmdation." 
Mr.  H.  M.  Hyndman  reached  the  same  conclusion, 
when  he  stated:     "Christianity  is  Anarchism."^ 

Christ's  attitude  toward  the  government  under 
which  He  Uved  was  one  of  acquiescence.  He 
never  attempted  to  overturn  the  Caesarian  gov- 
ernment, or  to  nullify  the  laws  of  the  state.  The 
whole  organisation  around  Him,  composed  of 
civil  servants,  fiscal  officials,  magistrates,  officers, 
and  soldiers,  not  only  escaped  His  condemnation, 
but  was  used  as  the  basis  of  many  of  His  parables 
which  taught  the  duty  of  ennobling  and  purifying 
the  life  of  the  day,  and  He  thereby  recognised 
those  things  as  a  part  of  a  just  and  legitimate 
law. 

"When  Jesus  therefore  perceived  that  they 
would  come  and  take  him  by  force,  to  make  Him 
a  King,  He  departed  again  into  a  mountain  Him- 
self alone.  "^  At  this  time,  His  following  was 
so  large  and  enthusiastic,  that  He  might  have 
organised  a  party  strong  enough  to  have  formed 

'  Life  of  Jesus,  23  ed.,  Boston,  1903,  p.  170. 
*  London  Daily  Express,  January  14,  1908. 
'John  vi.,  15. 


26  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

so  irresistible  a  force  as  would  have  shattered 
the  old  order  and  made  Him  a  dictator  of  the  new 
order,  but  He  made  no  such  use  of  His  power 
or  of  His  popularity. 

He  never  opposed  the  government  of  Caesar  or 
encouraged  a  spirit  of  rebellion  against  the  Roman 
power,  but  when  challenged  by  the  Zelotes  to 
say  whether  or  not  it  was  lawful  to  pay  tribute 
to  Caesar,  He  replied:  "Render  therefore  unto 
Caesar  the  things  which  are  Caesar's;  and  unto 
God  the  things  that  are  God's."  ^ 

He  paid  taxes  toward  the  support  of  the  gov- 
ernment, though  He  considered  them  to  be  tmjust, 
and  at  the  same  time  He  asserted  His  right  to 
refuse.' 

Even  Pilate,  prejudiced  as  he  was  against  Christ 
in  the  desire  to  comply  with  the  wish  of  the  mob 
to  find  Him  guilty  of  treason,  could  not  be  con- 
vinced that  Christ  was  a  revolutionist. 

"  Then  Pilate  entered  into  the  judgment  hall  again, 
and  called  Jesus,  and  said  unto  Him,  Art  thou  the 
King  of  the  Jews?  .  .  .  Jesus  answered,  My  Kingdom 
is  not  of  this  world :  if  my  Kingdom  were  of  this  world, 
then  would  my  servants  fight,  that  I  should  not  be 
delivered  to  the  Jews:  but  now  is  my  Kingdom  not 
from  hence.  .  .  .  Pilate  .  .  .  went  out  again  unto 
the  Jews,  and  saith  unto  them,  I  find  in  him  no  fault 
ataU."3 

»  Matt,  xxii.,  17-21. 

'  Matt,  xvii.,  24-27. 
» John  xviii.,  33-38. 


Was  Christ  an  Anarchist?  2^ 

Finally,  Christ  submitted  to  the  mockery  of  a 
trial  by  the  government,  to  the  unjust  sentence  of 
death  pronounced  by  the  government,  and  to  the 
ignominious  death  on  the  cross  at  the  hands  of 
the  government. 

Not  only  did  Christ  submit  uncontestingly  to 
the  civil  government,  but  He  commanded  obedi- 
ence to  the  laws  of  the  church  government. 
With  indignation  He  said: 

"Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites! 
for  ye  pay  tithe  of  mint  and  anise  and  cummin,  and 
have  omitted  the  weightier  matters  of  the  law, 
judgment,  mercy,  and  faith:  these  ought  ye  to  have 
done,  and  not  to  leave  the  other  imdone.  "^ 

Christ's  mission  on  earth  was  not  to  overthrow 
existing  governments  or  to  teach  men  to  destroy 
government,  nor  to  advocate  any  specific  form  of 
government,  but  rather,  to  teach  men  a  way  of 
life  to  be  lived  under  every  form  of  government, 
and  to  establish  on  earth  the  "Kingdom  of  God." 
This  "Kingdom"  has  as  its  head  a  King  who  is 
God,  and  as  its  subjects  those  who  acknowledge 
His  Kingship,  and  who  submit  themselves  to  its 
rules  and  regulations  and  to  its  governing  force 
and  power.  The  "Kingdom  of  God"  is  an  abso- 
lute monarchy,  more  autocratic  than  any  govern- 
ment existing  on  earth  to-day.  The  "Kingdom" 
is  a  government  of  laws,  laws  which  are  imposed 

» Matt,  xxiii.,  23. 


28  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

by  a  Supreme  power  on  all  human  beings,  who 
must  obey  them  or  suffer  the  penalties  provided 
for  disobedience.  The  duty  of  obedience  to  the 
laws  imposed  by  God  was  the  constant  theme  of 
Christ's  preaching.  He  taught  that  God  is  the 
supreme  ruler  of  the  universe  and  that  His  laws 
must  be  obeyed  imquestioningly  by  every  human 
being. 

The  basic  principle  of  Christianity  is  authority ; 
the  basic  principle  of  Anarchism  is  liberty. 
Christ  taught  that  the  life  and  affairs  of  men 
should  be  governed  by  the  laws  of  God;  Anarchy 
teaches  that  [the  life  and  affairs  of  men  should 
be  governed  by  no  external  authority.  Christ 
taught  implicit  obedience  to  a  higher  law  than 
the  individual  ego;  Anarchy  teaches  obedience 
to  no  law  but  the  will  of  the  individual.  Christ, 
by  precept  and  example,  taught  obedience  to 
the  laws  of  the  State  and  submission  to  the  de- 
crees of  the  civil  government;  Anarchy  teaches 
non-obedience  to  the  laws  of  the  State,  and 
opposition  to  the  decrees  of  the  civil  government. 

Anarchy  and  Christianity,  therefore,  are  in- 
herently incompatible,  irreconcilable,  and  antag- 
onistic. 


WAS  CHRIST  A  SOCIALIST? 


29 


WAS  CHRIST  A  SOCIALIST  ? 

THE  claim  has  often  been  made  that  Socialism 
is  Christianity  applied  to  modem  social 
and  industrial  conditions,  and  that  Jesus  Christ 
was  the  founder  of  Socialism. 

Rev.  R.  J.  Campbell  has  written:  "The  words 
of  Jesus  may  be  fairiy  regarded  as  the  spiritual 
presentation  of  the  aims  of  modem  Socialism. 
.  .  .  Socialism  is  actually  a  swing  back  to  the 
Gospel  of  the  Kingdom  of  God."^ 

"The  Christian  ideal  is  in  no  way  opposed  to 
the  sociaUstic  ideal,"  declares  Francisco  S.  Nitti^: 
while  Oscar  Holzmann  asserts:  "There  can  be 
no  manner  of  doubt  that  the  fundamental  ideals 
of  Socialism  are  to  be  referred  back  to  Jesus."  ^ 

Rev.  Eliot  White,  general  secretary  of  the 
Christian  SociaHst  Fellowship,  recently  said: 
"  Socialism  is  nothing  more  than  the  application  of 
the  teachings  of  Christ  to  industrial  conditions"; 
and  Frances  E.  Willard  declared  that  "Socialism 
is  Christianity  applied." 

'  Christianity  and  the  Social  Order,  pp.  19,  147,  173,  279. 
"  Catholic  Socialism,  p.  20. 

» Cited  by  Francis  G.  Peabody,  Jesus  Christ  and  the  Social 
Question,  p.  287. 

31 


32  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

These  statements  at  once  raise  the  question  as 
to  the  correct  definition  of  Socialism. 

To  define  the  term  "SociaHsm"  in  such  a  way 
as  to  accord  with  the  views  of  all  who  claim 
to  be  "Socialists"  is  a  task  which  is  yet  to  be 
accomplished. 

Despite  this  imfortunate  condition,  the  funda- 
mental principles  of  Socialism  are  easily  ascer- 
tainable, for  they  are  accepted  by  all  of  the  past 
and  present  day  Socialist  leaders. 

A  reform  movement,  whether  social,  industrial, 
or  political,  is  made  up  of  those  who  believe  in 
its  avowed  principles,  which  are  embodied  in  the 
platforms  adopted  by  its  delegates  in  convention 
assembled  and  in  the  writings  of  its  founders  and 
leaders. 

To  ascertain  the  principles  which  differentiate 
the  Democratic  party  from  all  other  political 
parties,  an  examination  must  be  made  of  the  plat- 
forms adopted  by  its  various  conventions,  and 
by  the  spoken  and  written  public  utterances  of 
its  unquestioned  leaders,  such  as  Thomas  Jeffer- 
son, Samuel  J.  Tilden,  and  Grover  Cleveland. 
In  Hke  manner,  the  doctrines  of  the  Republican 
party  are  to  be  found  in  its  platforms  and  in  the 
spoken  and  written  public  utterances  of  its  past 
and  present  leaders,  Abraham  Lincoln,  William 
McKinley,  Theodore  Roosevelt,  and  William  H. 
Taft. 

To  believe  in  free-trade  and  at  the  same  time 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist?  33 

to  call  oneself  a  Republican,  or  to  favour  national 
centralisation  of  power  and  profess  to  be  a 
Democrat,  would  be  sailing  under  false  colours. 
The  fact  that  some  ward  politician,  or  local  stump- 
speaker,  or  newspaper  which  is  not  the  official 
organ  of  the  party,  denies  some  of  the  party- 
tenets  or  suggests  new  measures  to  be  engrafted 
on  the  party  platform,  would  in  no  way  bind  the 
party  and  the  acceptance  of  such  utterance  alone 
would  not  entitle  one  to  bear  the  name  of  the 
party. 

Many  who  call  themselves  Socialists  accept 
only  a  few  of  the  fundamental  doctrines  of  the 
party  while  they  refuse  their  assent  to  the  remain- 
ing tenets.  To  call  oneself  a  Socialist  because  of  a 
beUef  in  community  of  goods,  while  being  op- 
posed to  the  materialistic  and  the  revolutionary 
doctrines  of  the  Socialist  party,  would  be  as 
logical  as  for  an  atheist,  who  believes  in  non- 
religious  social  settlements,  to  attend  a  Christian 
chiirch  which  operates  such  a  settlement,  and 
thereupon  call  himself  a  Christian.  In  order  to  be 
a  Socialist,  one  must  subscribe  to  substantially 
all  the  fundamental  doctrines  of  the  SociaUst 
party. 

What  is  the  modem  Socialist  party,  how  did  it 
arise,  what  are  its  principles,  and  who  are  its 
leaders  ? 

Modem  Socialism  had  its  birth  in  the  three 
plans  formulated  by  Fourier,  L'Ange,  Buonarotti, 


34  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Babeuf  and  their  comrades  in  1 793-1 794,  which 
they  endeavoured  to  put  into  practice  during  the 
French  Revolution.  One  plan  was  the  equalisa- 
tion of  fortunes,  by  means  of  a  heavily  progressive 
tax  and  succession  duties,  by  direct  confiscation 
of  the  land  for  the  purpose  of  dividing  it  among 
the  people,  and  by  large  war  taxes  levied  only 
upon  the  rich.  The  second  plan  was  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  national  system  of  prices  for  all 
commodities.  The  third  plan  was  a  sort  of 
Mimicipal  Commission  which  should  buy  articles 
of  necessity  and  sell  them  to  the  people  at  cost 
price.  * 

Shortly  after  the  close  of  the  French  Revolu- 
tion, Charles  Fourier,  Count  Henri  de  Saint- 
Simon  and  Louis  Blanc  in  France,  Robert  Owen 
in  England,  and  Karl  Rodbertus  in  Germany, 
worked  out  separate  theories  of  social  recon- 
struction and  started  different  socialistic  cults. 
Later,  Louis  Blanc  published  his  Organisation  of 
Labour,  and  Videl  in  France  and  Lorenz  Stein  in 
Germany,  further  developed  the  socialistic  the- 
ories. Finally,  Karl  Marx  of  Germany,  "The 
giant  path-finder  of  Socialism,"  correlated  the 
various  socialistic  theories  and  worked  out  a 
philosophical,  social,  and  economic  system  which 
became  the  basic  programme  of  the  present  Social 
Democratic  party. 

Following  Marx,  came  his  pupil  and  collabora- 

»  Preface  to  Conquest  of  Bread,  by  P,  Kropatkin,  p.  v. 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist  ?  35 

tor,  Frederick  Engels,  who  aided  materially  in 
systematising  the  Marxian  philosophy.  After 
Marx  and  Engels,  the  mantle  of  leadership  was 
placed  on  the  shoulders  of  August  Bebel,  William 
Liebknecht,  Kari  Kautsky,  Ferdinand  Lassalle, 
and  Joseph  Dietzgen  in  Germany,  Edward  Aveling, 
Belfort  Bax,  and  Robert  Blatchford  in  England, 
Emil  Vandervelde  in  Belgium,  Paul  Lafargue, 
Gabriel  Deville,  and  Jean  Jaures  in  France, 
Enrico  Ferri,  Achille  Loria  and  Antonio  Labriola 
in  Italy,  and  A.  M.  Simons,  Isador  Ladoff,  E. 
Untermann,  Charles  H.  Vail,  R.  Rives  La  Monte, 
Charles  H.  Kerr,  G.  D.  Herron,  Eugene  V.  Debs, 
Morris  Hillquit,  and  J.  S.  Spargo  in  the  United 
States. 

The  Socialist  party  is  an  international  party  as 
its  programme  embraces  all  human  society  and 
is  world-wide  in  its  appHcation.  Being  "a  world 
movement"^  each  country  necessarily  has  its 
leaders,  but  its  platform,  advocating,  as  it  does, 
the  obHteration  of  all  boundary  lines,  is  imiversal 
and  indivisible.  To  ascertain  the  teachings  of 
Socialism,  the  writings  of  all  its  leaders,  wherever 
they  may  reside,  must  be  taken  in  conjunction 
with  the  platforms  adopted  by  its  national  and 
international  conventions. 

The  Chicago  Platform,  adopted  by  the  National 
Socialist  party  on  May  5,  1904,  in  its  second 
part,  declares:     "As  an  American  SociaHst  party, 

*  Chicago  Platform,  1904. 


36  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

we  pledge  our  fidelity  to  the  principles  of  inter- 
national Socialism,  as  embodied  in  the  united 
thought  and  action  of  the  Socialists  of  all  nations." 

The  People,  one  of  the  organs  of  the  Socialist 
Labour  party,  in  its  issue  of  January  12,  1900, 
says:  "Among  the  men  whom  the  conditions 
of  the  nineteenth  century  raised  up  as  mouth- 
pieces of  the  proletarian  revolution,  two  stand 
pre-eminent — Karl  Marx  and  Frederick  Engels. 
.  .  .  Their  writings  laid  the  scientific  founda- 
tion upon  which  Socialism  is  built.***  This 
statement  is  also  made  by  Morris  Hillquit  and 
by  A.  M.  Simons.2 

Morris  Hillquit,  in  the  Worker,  March  23,  1907, 
wrote: 

"Altogether  it  is  high  time  that  the  American 
public  abandon  the  myth  of  the  'diverse  meanings  of 
Socialism'  and  the  'diverse  kinds  of  Socialism.* 
There  is  not  and  probably  never  was  a  theory  and 
movement  of  more  striking  uniformity  than  the  the- 
ory and  movement  of  Socialism.  The  International 
Socialist  movement  with  its  thirty  million  adherents, 
at  a  conservative  estimate,  and  its  organised  parties 
in  about  twenty-five  civilised  countries  in  both  hemi- 
spheres, is  all  based  on  the  same  Marxian  programme, 
and  follows  substantially  the  same  methods  of  pro- 
paganda and  action.  The  'diverse  Socialisms'  out- 
side of  the  organised  movement  are  represented  by 

*  Quoted  by  David  Goldstein,  Socialism,  Boston,  1903,  p.  186. 

*  History  of  Socialism  in  the  United  States,  p.  160. 
s  Int.  Soc.  Rev.,  June,  1904,  p.  725. 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist  ?  37 

small  groups  of  social  and  political  dilettantes  toying 
with  problems  of  the  universe  and  exercising  no 
influence  whatever  on  the  course  of  the  International 
Socialist  movement. " ' 

Therefore,  it  is  safe  to  subscribe  to  the  words  of 
the  writer  in  the  Worker,  under  date  of  April  28, 
1906: 

"There  may  be  fifty-seven  varieties,  or  twice  as 
many,  of  persons  who  sometimes  call  themselves 
Socialists  or  are  so  called  by  others.  But  there  is 
only  one  Socialism  that  coimts  in  the  real  world,  and 
it  cotmts  for  a  great  deal,  for  more  and  more  every 
year.  .  .  .  This  Socialism  that  counts,  we  call  it 
International  Socialism,  ...  we  call  it  revolutionary 
Socialism,  we  call  it  proletarian  Socialism,  ...  we 
call  it  scientific  Socialism.  "^ 

"Above  all  else,"  writes  John  Spargo,  "Socialism 
is  international  in  its  spirit  and  teaching.  There 
must,  necessarily,  be  differences  in  the  methods 
employed  in  coimtries  so  far  remote  from  each  other 
in  political  and  economic  conditions  as  Russia  and 
England,  or  Spain  and  the  United  States.  But  the 
goal  aimed  at  is  in  each  case  the  same,  and  the  same 
principles  guide  and  direct  the  movement."' 

The  aim  of  Socialism  is  to  secure  to  each  in- 
dividual  perfect   liberty,  absolute  equality,  and 

*  Quoted  by  Rev.  J.  J.  Ming,  Religion  of  Modern  Socialism, 
2d  ed.,  p.  71. 

'Ibid.,  2d  ed.,  p.  70. 

>  Forces  that  make  for  Socialism,  p.  4. 


38  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

unhampered  opportunity  to  develop  the  best  and 
the  fullest  life  possible.  All  which  tends  to  re- 
strict or  limit  the  opportunities  of  the  indivi- 
dual to  live  the  freest  and  the  most  complete  life 
Socialism  seeks  to  change  or  destroy. 
WilUam  Liebknecht  has  written: 

"The  people  should  learn  by  experience  that  Social- 
ism is  not  only  the  regulation  of  the  conditions  of 
labour  and  of  production;  that  it  does  not  only  pro- 
pose to  intervene  in  the  economic  fimctions  of  the 
State  and  of  the  social  organism,  but  that  it  aims  at 
the  most  complete  development  of  the  individual 
and  his  personality."' 

Since  the  claim  has  been  made  that  Christianity 
and  Socialism  are  alike  in  their  aims,  methods  of 
approach,  and  ultimate  ends,  and  that  "There  are 
many  thousands  of  devoted  Christians  .  .  .  who 
are  earnest  and  active  Socialists,  and  who  find 
no  antagonism  between  the  essentials  of  Christian 
teaching  and  the  essentials  of  the  Marxian  philo- 
sophy,"* the  teachings  of  Christ  as  foimd  recorded 
in  the  four  Gospels,  and  the  teachings  of  Socialism 
as  found  in  the  platforms  adopted  by  the  Socialist 
party  and  in  the  writings  of  its  accepted  leaders 
have  been  collected  and  are  set  forth  in  the  follow- 
ing parallel  columns  in  order  that  their  similarity 
and  their  difference  may  be  made  apparent. 

*  Quoted  from  Studies  in  Socialism,  by  Jean  Jaures,  1906,  p.  91. 
'  The  Spiritual  Significance  of  Modern  Socialism,  by  John 
Spargo,  pp.  82,  83. 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist  ? 


39 


Christ 

Mankind  is  divided 
into  no  classes. 

"Go  ye  into  all  the 
world,  and  preach  the 
gospel  to  every  creattire. ' '  ^ 

"Come  unto  me,  all  ye 
that  labour  and  are  heavy 
lad.en,  and  I  will  give  you 
rest."'' 

"Go  ye  therefore  into 
the  highways,  and  as 
many  as  ye  shall  find,  bid 
to  the  marriage. "  ^ 

"And  they  shall  come 
from  the  east,  and  from 
the  west,  and  from  the 
north,  and  from  the 
south,  and  shall  sit  down 
in  the  kingdom  of  God. "  "^ 

'  Mark  xvi.,  15. 
» Matt,  xi.,  28. 
»  Matt,  xxii.,  9. 
*  Luke  xiii.,  29. 


Socialism 

Mankind  is  divided 
into  two  classes — the 
propertied  and  the  non- 
propertied,  or  the  cap- 
italist and  the  proletariat. 
Frederick  Engels: 
"Modern  Socialism  is, 
in  its  essence,  the  direct 
product  of  the  recognition, 
on  the  one  hand,  of  the 
class  antagonisms,  existing 
in  the  society  of  to-day, 
between  proprietors  and 
non-proprietors,  between 
capitaHsts  and  w  a  g  e- 
workers."^ 

John  S.  Spargo: 
"  If  the  Socialists  would 
repudiate  the  doctrine 
that  Socialism  is  a  class 
movement,  and  make 
their  appeal  to  the  intelli- 
gence and  conscience  of 
all  classes,  instead  of  to 
the  interests  of  a  special 
class,  they  could  probably 
double    their    numerical 

^Socialism,    Utopian  and 
Scientific,  1902,  p.  i. 


40  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Christ  Socialism 

strength  at  once.  .  .  . 
But  we  should  not  gain 
strength  as  a  result  of 
their  accession  to  our 
ranks.  We  should  be 
obliged  to  emasculate  So- 
cialism, to  dilute  it,  in 
order  to  win  a  support 
of  questionable  value."* 

"As  Socialists,  there- 
fore, we  do  not  ask  our- 
selves what  Moses  or 
Christ,  Buddha  or  Con- 
fucius, Madame  Blavat- 
sky  or  Mrs.  Eddy,  John 
Wesley  or  the  Pope  would 
say,  but  simply  this : '  How 
will  it  affect  the  working 
class  to  which  we  be- 
long?' "=» 

'  Socialism,  1909,  pp.  151, 
152,  153- 

'  Where  We  Stand,  Pocket 
Library  of  Socialism,  No.  52, 
pp.  21,  22. 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist? 


41 


Christ 

Chief  aim  is  spiritual. 

"Therefore  take  no 
thought,  saying,  What 
shall  we  eat?  or.  What 
shall  we  drink?  or,  Where- 
withal shall  we  be  clothed? 
.  .  .  But  seek  ye  first  the 
kingdom  of  God,  and  his 
righteousness;  and  all 
these  things  shall  be 
added  unto  you."^ 

"And  Jesus,  walking 
by  the  sea  of  Galilee,  saw 
two  brethren,  Simon  called 
Peter,  and  Andrew  his 
brother,  casting  a  net  into 
the  sea:  for  they  were 
fishers. 

"And  he  saith  unto 
them,  Follow  me,  and  I 
will  make  you  fishers  of 
men. 

"And  they  straightway 
left  their  nets,  and  fol- 
lowed him."' 

"Lay  not  up  for  your- 

*  Matt,  vi.,  31,  33;  Luke  xii., 
22-31. 

•  Matt,  iv.,  18-20. 


Socialism 

Chief  aim  is  material^ 
istic. 

The  Erfort,  Gotha, 
Vienna,  and  the  Chicago 
programs,  and  all  the 
great  leaders  of  the  party, 
declare  that  the  socialisa- 
tion of  property  and  the 
means  of  production  are 
the  chief  aims  of  Socialism. 

Belfort  Bax: 

"Socialism  is  cer- 
tainly materialistic  in  so 
far  as  it  recognises  that 
the  first  condition  of  the 
higher  life  of  humanity  is 
the  soundness  of  its  ma- 
terial basis,  that  without 
a  full  and  complete  satis- 
faction of  the  material 
wants  of  life  for  one  and 
all,  in  other  words,  with- 
out economic  equality, 
the  pretence  to  'higher 
life'  is  no  better  than  an 
impudent  hypocrisy. 
Herein  Socialism  differs 
from  all  the  great  ethical 
religions  which  have 
arisen    during    the    his- 


42 


Christ's  Social  Remedies 


Christ 

selves  treasures  upon 
earth,  where  moth  and 
rust  doth  corrupt,  and 
where  thieves  break 
through  and  steal : 

"But  lay  up  for  your- 
selves treasiu*es  in  heaven, 
where  neither  moth  nor 
rust  doth  corrupt,  and 
where  thieves  do  not 
break  through  and  steal . "  ^ 

"For  what  is  a  man 
profited  if  he  shall  gain 
the  whole  world,  and  lose 
his  own  soul?  or  what 
shall  a  man  give  in  ex- 
change for  his  soul?"" 

"There  came  unto  him 
a  woman  having  an  ala- 
baster box  of  very  pre- 
cious ointment,  and 
poured  it  on  his  head  as 
he  sat  at  meat. 

"But  when  his  disciples 
saw  it,  they  had  indigna- 
tion, saying.  To  what  pur- 
pose is  this  waste? 

^  Matt,  vi.,  19,  20. 

» Matt,  xvi.,  26;  Luke  ix.,  25. 


Socialism 

torical  period — from 
Christianity  as  much  as 
from  any  other. "  ^ 

At  the  grave  of  his 
life-long  friend  Karl 
Marx,  Frederick  Engels 
thus  expounded  Marx's 
leading  ideas: 

"  Darwin  discovered  the 
law  of  evolution  in  organic 
nature,  Marx  in  the  his- 
tory of  mankind.  He  dis- 
closed the  simple  fact 
hidden  hitherto  by  ideo- 
logical excrescences,  the 
fact  that  above  all  else 
men  stand  in  need  of 
meat  and  drink,  of  shelter 
and  clothing,  before  they 
can  engage  in  politics, 
science,  art,  religion,  etc., 
that  therefore  the  pro- 
duction of  the  immediate 
material  means  of  life  and 
the  corresponding  stage 
of  economic  evolution  of  a 
nation  or  epoch  forms  the 
foundation  from  which 

*  Outspoken  Essays,  p.  170. 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist  ? 


43 


Christ 

"For  this  ointment 
might  have  been  sold  for 
much  and  given  to  the 
poor. 

"When  Jesus  under- 
stood it,  he  said  unto 
them,  Why  trouble  ye  the 
woman?  for  she  hath 
wrought  a  good  work 
upon  me. 

"Verily  I  say  unto  you, 
Wheresoever  this  gospel 
shall  be  preached  in  the 
whole  world,  there  shall 
also  this,  that  this  woman 
hath  done,  be  told  for  a 
memorial  of  her."^ 

"And  she  had  a  sister 
called  Mary,  which  also 
sat  at  Jesus'  feet,  and 
heard  his  word. 

"  But  Martha  was  cum- 
bered about  much  serv- 
ing, and  came  to  him,  and 
said.  Lord,  dost  thou  not 
care  that  my  sister  hath 
left  me  to  serve  alone? 
bid  her  therefore  that  she 
help  me. 

'  Matt,  xxvi.,  7-10, 13. 


Socialism 

the  civil  institutions  of  the 
people  in  question,  their 
ideas  of  law,  of  art,  of 
religion  even,  have  been 
developed  and  according 
to  which  they  are  to  be 
explained — and  not  the 
reverse,  as  has  been  done 
heretofore."^ 

Robert  Rives  La 
Monte: 

"At  bottom,  when  we 
talk  intelligently  of  the 
Materialistic  Conception 
of  History,  we  simply 
mean  what  every  man  by 
his  daily  conduct  proves 
to  be  true,  that  the  bread- 
and-butter  question  is  the 
most  important  question 
inUfe."^' 

Karl  Marx: 

."In  the  social  produc- 
tion which  men  carry  on, 
they  enter  into   definite 

'  Mehring,  Die  Lessing  Le- 
gende,  1893,  p.  434. 

'Science  and  Socialism, 
Pocket  Library  of  Socialism, 
No.  22,  p.  ID. 


44 


Christ's  Social  Remedies 


Christ 

"And  Jesus  answered 
and  said  unto  her,  .  .  . 

"  But  one  thing  is  need- 
ful: and  Mary  hath 
chosen  that  good  part, 
which  shall  not  be  taken 
away  from  her."* 

"And  he  said  unto 
them,  Take  heed,  and 
beware  of  covetousness : 
for  a  man's  life  consisteth 
not  in  the  abundance  of 
the  things  which  he  pos- 
sesseth."* 

"Labour  not  for  the 
meat  which  perisheth,  but 
for  that  meat  which  en- 
dureth  unto  everlasting 
life,  which  the  son  of  man 
shall  give  unto  you."^ 

*  Luke  X.,  39-42. 
'  Luke  xii.,  15. 
»John  vi.,  27. 


Socialism 

relations  that  are  indis- 
pensable and  independent 
of  their  will;  these  rela- 
tions of  production  cor- 
respond to  a  definite  stage 
of  development  of  their 
material  powers  of  pro- 
duction. The  sum  total 
of  these  relations  of  pro- 
duction constitute  the 
economic  structure  of 
society — the  real  founda- 
tion, on  which  rise  legal 
and  political  superstruc- 
tures and  to  which 
correspond  definite  forms 
of  social  consciousness. 
The  mode  of  production 
in  material  life  determines 
the  general  character  of 
the  social,  political,  and 
spiritual  processes  of  life. 
It  is  not  the  consciousness 
of  men  that  determines 
their  existence,  but,  on 
the  contrary,  their  social 
existence  determines  their 
consciousness."^ 

'  A  Contribution  to  the  Cri- 
tique of  Political  Economy,  Eng- 
lish Trans.,  N.  Y.,  1904,  p.  11. 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist?  45 

Christ  Socialism 

George  D.  Herron: 
"  Socialism  begins  with 
this — that  the  history  of 
the  world  has  been  econo- 
mic. The  world's  sen- 
timents and  religions,  its 
laws  and  morals,  its  arts 
and  literatures,  are  all 
rooted  in  the  struggle  be- 
tween classes  for  the  con- 
trol of  the  food  supply."^ 

Morris  Hillquit : 

"The  prime  concern  of 
men  in  a  state  of  society 
is  the  production  of  the 
means  for  the  sustenance 
of  the  members  of  that 
society."' 

"The  ultimate  aim  of 
the  socialist  movement  is 
to  convert  the  material 
means  into  the  common 
property  of  the  nation  as 
the  only  radical  and  effec- 
tive cure  of  all  social 
evils.  "3 

'Quoted  from  Religion  of 
Socialism  by  Ming,  p.  184. 

» Socialism  in  Theory  and 
Practice,  1909,  p,  52. 

ilbid.,  p.  211. 


46 


Christ's  Social  Remedies 


Christ 

Recognises  the  right 
of  private  property. 

"And  he  said  unto 
I  them,  When  I  sent  you 
without  purse,  and  scrip, 
and  shoes,  lacked  ye  any- 
thing? And  they  said, 
Nothing. 

"Then  said  he  unto 
them.  But  now,  he  that 
hath  a  purse,  let  him  take 
it,  and  likewise  his  scrip : 
and  he  that  hath  no  sword, 
let  him  sell  his  garment, 
and  buy  one."^ 

"  Sell  that  ye  have,  and 
give  alms."' 

"Give  to  him  that  ask- 
eth  thee,  and  from  him 
that  would  borrow  of  thee 
turn  not  thou  away."^ 

"Jesus  said  unto  him, 
Zaccheus,  .  .  .  to-day 
I  must  abide  at  thy  house. 

"And  Zaccheus  stood, 
and  said  unto  the  Lord: 

'  Luke  xxii.,  35,  36. 

» Luke  xii.,  33. 

» Matt,  v.,  42;  Luke  vi.,  30. 


Socialism 

Denies  the  right  of 
private  property. 

The  N.  Y.  Volkszei- 
tung  (Jubilee  ed.,  Feb- 
ruary 21,  1903,  p.  29): 

"We  affirm  our  stead- 
fast purpose  to  use  those 
(governmental)  powers, 
once  achieved,  to  destroy 
the  institution  of  private 
property  in  the  means  of 
production  and  distribu- 
tion, and  to  establish  the 
Co-operative  Common- 
wealth."' 

Jean  Jaures: 

"The  time  is  not  far  off 
when  no  one  will  be  able 
to  speak  to  the  public 
about  the  preservation  of 
private  property  without 
covering  himself  with  ridi- 
cule and  putting  himself 
voluntarily  into  an  in- 
ferior rank. "  =« 

'  Quoted  from  Socialism  by 
Cathrein,  p.  247. 

»  Studies  in  Socialism,  1906, 
p.  32. 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist  ? 


47 


Christ 

Behold,  Lord,  the  half  of 
my  goods  I  give  to  the 
poor;  and  if  I  have  taken 
anything  from  any  man 
by  false  accusation,  I 
restore  him  fourfold. 

"And  Jesus  said  unto 
him,  This  day  is  salvation 
come  to  this  house,  for- 
somuch  as  he  also  is  a  son 
of  Abraham."^ 

<  Luke  xix.,  5,  8,  9. 


Socialism 

Communist  Manifesto 
of  Marx  and  Engels: 

"You  are  horrified  at 
our  intending  to  do  away 
with  private  property.  . 
.  .  In  one  word,  you  re- 
proach us  with  intending 
to  do  away  with  your  prop- 
erty. Precisely  so;  that 
is  just  what  we  intend. " 

Karl  Marx: 

"As  the  prevailing 
system  is,  however,  based 
on  the  assertion  of  private 
ownership,  the  proletariat 
feels  impelled  by  society 
to  take  up  with  the  oppos- 
ing principle,  namely,  the 
disavowal  of  private 
ownership,  and  will  natur- 
ally introduce  this  princi- 
ple, as  essential  to  its  life, 
into  every  society  where 
it  may  acquire  that  power, 
which  is  rapidly  and  in- 
evitably being  achieved."^ 

^  Deutsche- Franzosische  Jahr- 
bucher,  1 843-44.  See  article  by 
Marx  on  "The  Hegelian  Phil- 
osophy of  Law." 


48  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Christ  Socialism 

"Our  teaching  may  be 
summed  up  in  this  pro- 
position— the  abolition  of 
private  property. "' 

'  M  e  r  m  e  i  X,  Le  Socialisme, 
1907, 4th  ed.,  p.  7. 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist  ? 


49 


Christ 
Forbids  stealing. 
"And   God   spake   all 
these  words  saying : 

"  Thoushalt  notsteal."' 

"Think  not  that  T  am 
come  to  destroy  the  law, 
or  the  prophets :  I  am  not 
come  to  destroy,  but  to 
fulfil. 

"For  verily  I  say  unto 
you.  Till  heaven  and  earth 
pass,  one  jot  or  one 
tittle  shall  in  no  wise  pass 
from  the  law,  till  all  be 
fulfilled."" 

"Jesus  said. 
Thou  Shalt  not  steal.  "^ 

^Exodus  XX.,  I,  15. 
»Matt.  v.,  17,  18. 
»  Matt,  xix.,  18. 


Socialist 

Advocates  stealing. 

Eugene  V.  Debs : 
"This  great  body  will 
sweep  into  power  and 
seize  the  reins  of  govern- 
ment, take  possession  of 
industry  in  the  name  of 
the  working  class — and  it 
can  be  easily  done.  All 
that  will  be  required  will 
be  to  transfer  the  title- 
deeds  from  the  parasites 
to  the  producers. "  * 

John  Spargo: 

"The  act  of  transfer, 
whether  it  take  the  form 
of  confiscation  or  other- 
wise, must  be  the  will  of 
a  legal  majority  of  the 
people.  .  .  .  Of  course, 
in  the  event  of  some  great 
upheaval  occurring,  such 
as,  for  example,  the  rising 
of  a  suffering  and  desper- 
ate people  in  consequence 
of  some  terrific  panic  or 
period  of  depression, 
brought  on  by  capitalist 
misrule,  or  by  war,  this 
might  be  swept  away."' 

*  Industrial  Unionism,  C.  H. 
Kerr  &  Co.,  Chicago,  p.  32. 

*  Socialism,  1909,  pp.  331, 
333. 


50 


Christ's  Social  Remedies 


Christ 

Marriage  is  an  indis- 
soluble contract. 

"From  the  beginning 
of  the  creation,  God  made 
them  male  and  female. 
For  this  cause  shall  a 
man  leave  his  father  and 
mother,  and  cleave  to  his 
wife;  and  they  twain  shall 
be  one  flesh:  .  .  .  what 
therefore  God  hath  joined 
together,  let  no  man  put 
asunder."^ 

"Whosoever  shall  put 
away  his  wife,  saving  for 
the  cause  of  fornication, 
causeth  her  to  commit 
adultery ;  and  whoever 
shall  marry  her  that  is 
divorced,  committeth 
adultery."* 

"And  he  saith  unto 
them,  Whosoever  shall 
put  away  his  wife,  and 
marry  another,  commit- 
teth adultery  against  her. 

^Mark  x.,  5-9;  Matt,  xix., 

3-6. 

*Matt.  v.,  32;  Lukevi.,  18. 


Socialism 

Marriage  is  a  tempoT" 
ary  contract, 

Jean  Jaures  writes  that 
when  the  Socialist  party 
shall  be  in  power,  it  will 
not '  *  be  guilty  of  rendering 
marriage  a  restraining  con- 
tract of  any  kind.  Each 
one  of  the  contracting 
parties  will  be  free  to 
continue  to  lead  the  joint 
life,  or  will  be  free  to  break 
a  bond  which  may  have 
become  galling ;  for  it  will 
be  held  by  society  and  the 
laws  that  when  there  is 
no  longer  any  accord  or 
affections  or  a  desire  to 
prolong  the  common  ex- 
istence, this  existence 
becomes  but  a  lie  and 
shovild  end.  .  .  .  So- 
cialist society  will  hold 
that  it  would  be  hypocrisy 
or  hardness  of  heart  to 
show  any  sign  of  reproval 
if  two  such  beings  sought 
happiness  in  another 
union.  "^ 

»  The  Independent,  Aug.  28, 
1908,  p.  406. 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist? 


51 


Christ 


Socialism 


"And  if  a  woman  shall 
put  away  her  husband, 
and  be  married  to  another, 
she  committeth  a  d  u  1  - 
tery."3 

^Mark  x.,  11,  12;  Luke  xvi., 
18. 


Robert   Rives   La 

Monte: 

"  From  the  point  of  view 
of  this  Socialist  material- 
ism, the  monogamous 
family,  the  present  econo- 
mic unit  of  society,  ceases 
to  be  a  divine  institution 
and  becomes  the  historical 
product  of  certain  definite 
economic  conditions.  It 
is  the  form  of  the  family 
peciiliar  to  a  society  based 
on  private  property  in 
the  means  of  production, 
and  the  production  of 
commodities  for  sale.  It 
is  not  crystallised  and 
permanent,  but,  like  all 
other  institutions,  fluid 
and  subject  to  change. 
With  the  change  in  its 
economic  basis,  the  code 
of  sexual  morality  and 
the  monogamous  family 
are  sure  to  be  modified; 
but,  in  the  judgment  of 
such  Socialists  as  Freder- 
ick Engels  and  August 
Bebel,  we  shall  probably 
remain  monogamous,  but 


52  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Christ  Soaicil 


monogamy  will  cease  to 
be  compulsorily  per- 
manent."* 

"Free  love  is  the  only 
kind  of  love  that  has  ever 
existed ;  compulsory  or 
bound  love  is  a  contra- 
diction in  terms.  .  .  . 
Socialists  do  advocate  a 
higher  form  of  marriage 
in  which  love  will  be  the 
only  tie,  and  of  which  love 
will  be  the  only  sanction. 
They  hold  that  the  co- 
habitation of  loveless 
couples  is  the  abysmal 
depth  of  immorality. " ' 

August  Bebel: 

"This  alliance  is  a  pri- 
vate agreement,  without 
the  intervention  of  any 
(public)  functionary.  .  .  . 
If  disagreement,  disap- 
pointment, or  dissatisfac- 
tion should  arise,  morality 

'  Socialism,  Positive  and 
Negative,  1907,  pp.  98,  99. 
» Int.  Sac.  Rev.,  ix.,  p.  838. 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist  ?  53 

Christ  Socialism 

demands  a  disruption  of 
the  unnatural  and,  con- 
sequently, immoral  alli- 
ance."^ 

Frederick  Engels: 
"The  indissolubility  of 
marriage  is  partly  the 
consequence  of  economic 
conditions,  under  which 
monogamy  arose,  partly 
tradition  from  the  time 
when  the  connection  with 
the  economic  situation 
and  monogamy,  not  yet 
clearly  understood,  was 
carried  to  extremes  by 
religion.  To-day,  it  has 
been  perforated  a  hun- 
dred times.  If  marriage 
founded  on  love  alone  is 
moral,  then  it  follows  that 
marriage  is  moral  only  as 
long  as  love  lasts.  The 
duration  of  an  attack  of 
individual  sex-love  varies 
considerably  according  to 
individual  d  i  s  p  o  s  ition, 
especially  in  men.  A 
positive  cessation  of  f ond- 

'  Die  Frau,  p.  342. 


54  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Christ  Socialism 

ness  or  its  replacement  by 
a  new  passionate  love 
makes  a  separation  a 
blessing  for  both  parties 
and  society."^ 

Karl  Kautsky: 

"  The  same  phenomena, 
say  of  free  sexual  inter- 
course or  of  indifference 
to  property,  can  in  one 
case  be  the  product  of 
moral  depravity  in  a 
society  where  a  strict 
monogamy  and  the  sanc- 
tity  are  recognised  as 
necessary ;  in  another  case 
it  can  be  the  highly  moral 
product  of  a  healthy  social 
organism  which  requires 
for  its  social  needs  neither 
property  in  a  particular 
woman  nor  that  (pro- 
perty) in  particular  means 
of  consumption  and  pro- 
duction."' 

*  Origin  of  the  Family,  pp. 
99,  loo. 

'  Ethics  and  the  Materialist 
Conception  oj  History,  p.  193. 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist  ?  55 

Christ  Socialism 

William   Morris   and 
Belfort  Bax: 

"As  to  the  particulars 
of  life  under  the  Socialistic 
order,  we  may,  to  begin 
with,  say  concerning  mar- 
riage and  the  family  that 
it  would  be  affected  by 
the  great  change,  firstly 
in  economics,  and  second- 
ly in  ethics.  The  present 
marriage  system  is  based 
on  the  general  supposition 
of  economic  dependence 
of  the  woman  on  the  man, 
and  the  consequent  neces- 
sity for  his  making  pro- 
vision for  her,  which  she 
can  legally  enforce.  This 
basis  would  disappear 
with  the  advent  of  social 
economic  freedom,  and  no 
binding  contract  would 
be  necessary  between  the 
parties  as  regards  liveli- 
hood; while  property  in 
children  would  cease  to 
exist,  and  every  infant 
that  came  into  the  world 
would  be  bom  into  full 
citizenship,  and   would 


56  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Christ  Socialism 

enjoy  all  its  advantages, 
whatever  the  conduct  of 
its  parents  might  be. 
Thus  a  new  development 
of  the  family  would  take 
place  on  the  basis,  not  of 
a  determined  life-long 
business  arrangement,  to 
be  formally  and  nominally 
held  to,  irrespective  of 
circumstances,  but  on 
mutual  inclination  and 
affection,  and  association 
terminable  at  the  will  of 
either  party."' 

Edward  Carpenter: 
"Here  there  is  no  solu- 
tion except  the  freedom  of 
the  woman — which  means 
of  course  also  the  free- 
dom of  the  masses  of  the 
people,  men  and  women, 
and  the  ceasing  altogether 
of  economic  slavery. 
There  is  no  solution  which 
will  not  include  the  re- 
demption of  the  term 
'free  woman'  and  'free- 

^  The  Growth  and  Outcome  of 
Socialism,  pp.  299,  300. 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist  ?  57 

Christ  Socialism 

love'  to  their  true  and 
rightful  significance.  Let 
every  woman  whose  heart 
bleeds  for  the  sufferings  of 
her  sex,  hasten  to  de- 
clare herself  and  to  con- 
stitute herself,  so  far  as 
she  possibly  can,  a  free 
woman.  Let  her  accept 
the  term  with  all  the 
odium  that  belongs  to  it, 
let  her  insist  on  her  right 
to  speak,  dress,  think, 
act  and  above  all  to  use 
her  sex,  as  she  deems  best ; 
let  her  face  the  scorn  and 
ridicule;  let  her  'lose  her 
own  life'  if  she  likes; 
assured  that  only  so  can 
come  deliverance,  and 
that  only  when  the  free 
woman  is  honoured  will 
the  prostitute  cease  to 
exist."* 

Charles  H.  Kerr: 
"  It  is  often  asked  what 
changes  Socialists  would 
make    in    the    marriage 

'  Love's     Coming     of    Age, 
Chicago,  1903,  p.  62. 


58  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Christ  Socialism 

relation.  .  .  .  We  would 
make  woman  economic- 
ally free  so  that  she  might 
have  no  motive  for  mar- 
riage but  love,  and  we 
would  leave  people  to 
regulate  their  private  lives 
for  themselves,  instead  of 
using  the  power  of  the 
state  to  coerce  them.  "^ 

George  D.  Herron: 
"I  thoroughly  believe 
in  the  vital  and  abiding 
union  with  one  woman  as 
a  true  basis  of  the  family. 
But  we  shall  have  few 
such  imions  until  we  have 
a  free  family.  Men  and 
women  must  be  eco- 
nomically free — free  from 
interference  of  legal  and 
ecclesiastical  force,  and 
free  to  correct  their  mis- 
takes, before  we  can  have 
a  family  that  is  noble, 
built  on  unions  that  are 
good.  Lives  that  are  es- 
sentially one,  co-operative 

'  The  Folly  oj  Being  ' '  Good, ' ' 
pp.  24,  25. 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist?  59 

Christ  Socialism 

in  the  love  and  truth 
that  make  oneness,  need 
no  law  of  state  or  chiirch 
to  bind  or  keep  them 
together.  Upon  such, 
the  imposition  of  force  is 
a  destruction  and  a  blas- 
phemy. On  the  other 
hand,  no  law  in  the  uni- 
verse has  a  right  to  keep 
together  those  who  are  not 
vitally  and  essentially  one. 
It  is  only  in  free  freedom 
that  love  can  find  its  own, 
or  truth  blossom  in  the 
soul,  or  other  than  a 
slave -individuality  un- 
fold."^ 

Eugene  V.  Debs  wrote 
in  the  Worker,  April  28, 
1906,  with  reference  to 
Maxim  Gorky,  who  was 
accompanied  to  New 
York  by  Madam  An- 
dreiva  as  his  wife,  and 
who,  it  was  reported, 
was  his  mistress   only, 

» Int.  Soc.  Rev.,  July,  1901, 
pp.  23,  24. 


6o  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Christ  Socialism 

and  not  his  legal  con- 
sort: 

"With  open  arms  and 
hearts  attuned  to  love  and 
greeting,  we  of  the  pro- 
letariat welcome  Maxim 
Gorky  and  his  wife  to 
these  shores. 

"Christ-like  is  his  love 
for  the  lowly  and  despised 
and  his  sacrifices  of  self, 
and  Christ-like  his  perse- 
cution by  the  heartless 
Pharisees.  .  .  . 

"But  through  all  the 
fiery  ideals  that  have 
fallen  to  his  lot  he  has 
preserved  inviolate  his 
mental  and  moral  integ- 
rity. .  .  .  No  wonder 
their  refined  sensibilities 
are  shocked  by  the  ad- 
vent of  genius,  healthy, 
moral  and  sane,  in  full 
possession  of  all  the  vir- 
tues, nobility  of  soul, 
loftiness  of  mind  and 
purity  of  heart ;  no  wonder 
they  bar  the  doors  of 
their  harems  and  hostel- 
ries  and  draw  the  blinds  in 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist  ?  6i 

Christ  Socialism 

dread  and  fear  of  a  fresh 
and  purifying  breath  of 
moral  atmosphere. "  * 

Communist  Mani- 
festo : 

"The  bourgeois  family 
will  vanish  as  a  matter  of 
course,  when  its  comple- 
ment (prostitution)  van- 
ishes, and  both  will 
vanish  with  the  vanishing 
of  capital."' 

H.  M.  Hyndman: 

"Breaking  down  and 
building  up  go  on  slowly 
together,  and  new  forms 
arise  to  displace  the  old. 
It  is  the  same  with  the 
family.  That,  in  the 
German-Christian  sense 
of  marriage  for  life  and 
responsibility  of  parents 
for  children  born  in  wed- 
lock, is  almost  at  an  end 
even  now,  .  .  .  and  must 

*  Quoted  from  Morality  of 
Modern  Socialism,  by  John  J. 
Ming,  S.  J.,  1909,  pp.  219,  220. 

'  Ibid.,  pp.  198,  199. 


62  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Christ  Socialism 

result  in  a  widely  extended 
Communism."* 

Paul  Lafargue: 
' '  Freed  from  the  marital 
yoke  and  the  oppression 
of  man-made  morality, 
woman  will  be  able  to 
develop  freely  her  phys- 
ical and  intellectual 
faculties."^ 

*  The  Historical  Basis  of 
Socialism,  p.  452. 

'  Economic  Evolution,  Pocket 
Library  of  Socialism,  No.  56, 
p.  17. 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist  ? 


63 


Christ 

Taught  the  freedom  of 
the  human  will. 

"Whosoever  doth  not 
bear  his  cross,  and  come 
after  me,  cannot  be  my 
disciple."* 

"So  likewise,  whoso- 
ever he  be  of  you  that 
forsaketh  not  all  that  he 
hath,  he  cannot  be  my 
disciple."* 

"And  I  say  unto  you. 
Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given 
you;  seek,  and  ye  shall 
find;  knock,  and  it  shall 
be   opened   unto   you."^ 

"But  seek  ye  first  the 
kingdom  of  God,  and  his 
righteousness;  and  all 
these  things  shall  be 
added  unto  you."'' 

» Luke  xiv.,  28. 

»  Luke  xiv.,  33. 

»Luke  xi.,  9;  Matt,  vii.,  7. 

«  Matt,  vi,  33. 


Socialism 

Denies  the  freedom  of 
the  human  will. 

Robert  Rives  La 
Monte: 

"The  Marxist  abso- 
lutely denies  the  freedom 
of  the  will.  Every  human 
action  is  inevitable.  *  No- 
thing happens  by  chance.' 
Everything  is  because  it 
cannot  but  be.  How 
then  can  we  consistently 
praise  or  blame  any  con- 
duct? If  one  cares  to 
make  hairsplitting  dis- 
tinctions, it  may  be 
replied  that  we  cannot, 
but  none  the  less  we  can 
rejoice  at  some  actions 
and  deplore  others. "  ^ 

A.  Labriola: 

"The  will  does  not 
choose  of  itself,  as  was 
supposed  by  the  inventors 
of  free  will."' 

'  Quoted  Int.  Soc.  Rev.,  ix., 
p.  682. 

'  Essays  on  MateriaHstic 
Conception  of  History,  p.  115. 


64 


Christ's  Social  Remedies 


Christ 

Human  nature  can  he 
changed  only  by  a  spirit- 
ual  regeneration. 

"  O  generation  of  vipers, 
how  can  ye,  being  evil, 
speak  good  things?  for 
out  of  the  abundance 
of  the  heart  the  mouth 
speaketh."        -* 

"A  good  man  out  of 
the  good  treasure  of  the 
heart  bringeth  forth  good 
things:  and  an  evil  man 
out  of  the  evil  treasure 
bringeth  forth  evil 
things."^ 

"Except  ye  be  con- 
verted, and  become  as 
little  children,  ye  shall 
not  enter  into  the  king- 
dom of  heaven. " ' 

"  Except  a  man  be  born 
again,  he  cannot  see  the 
kingdom  of  God.  "^ 

'  Matt,  xii.,  34,  35. 
»  Matt,  xviii.,  3;  Mark  x.,  15; 
Luke  xviii.,  17. 
3  John  iii.,  3. 


Socialism 

Human  nature  can  be 
changed  by  changing 
economic  conditions. 

E.   Untermann : 

"Change  conditions, 
and  you  change  human 
nature.  That  is  the  re- 
frain through  all  the  works 
of  proletarian  thinkers  of 
modern  times. "  * 

K.  Kautsky: 

"Socialism  abolishes 
need  and  surfeit  and  all 
that  is  unnatural.  .  .  . 
May  we  not  assume  that 
under  these  conditions  a 
new  type  of  manhood  will 
evolve  which  will  surpass 
the  highest  type  which 
culture  has  produced  up 
till  now?'" 

"  The  World's  Revolutions, 
p.  162. 

'On  the  Morrow  of  Social 
Revolution,  p.  43. 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist  ? 


65 


Christ 

Man's  full  and  com- 
plete development  de- 
pends on  his  living  a 
Christlike  life. 

"I  am  come  that  they 
might  have  Hfe,  and  that 
they  might  have  it  more 
abundantly."* 

"I  am  the  light  of  the 
world:  he  that  followeth 
me  shall  not  walk  in  dark- 
ness, but  shall  have  the 
light  of  life.  "^ 

"Therefore  whosoever 
heareth  these  sayings  of 
mine,  and  doeth  them, 
I  will  liken  him  unto  a 
wise  man,  which  built  his 
house  upon  a  rock : 

"And  the  rain  descen- 
ded, and  the  floods  came, 
and  the  winds  blew,  and 
beat  upon  that  house; 
and  it  fell  not,  for  it  was 
foimded  upon  a  rock."^ 

'  John  X.,  10. 
"John  viii.,  12. 
»Matt.  vii.,  24,  25. 


Socialism 

Man's  full  and  com- 
pletedevelopmentdepends 
on  the  introduction  of 
communism. 

Jean  Jaures : 

"When  the  proletariat 
has  conquered  and  Com- 
munism has  been  insti- 
tuted, all  the  stored-up 
human  effort  of  centuries 
will  become  a  sort  of 
supplementary  nature, 
r[ich  and  beneficent, 
which  will  welcome  all 
human  beings  from  the 
hour  of  their  birth,  and 
assure  to  them  their  full 
and  perfect  develop- 
ment."^ 

P.  Laf argue: 

"The  Communist  Rev- 
olution, by  suppressing 
private  property  and  giv- 
ing '  to  all  the  same  things ' 
will  emancipate  man."' 

'  Studies  in  Socialism,  Put- 
nam Sons,  1906,  p.  14. 

'  Social  and  Philosophical 
Studies,  p.  92. 


66 


Christ's  Social  Remedies 


Christ 

To  uplift  and  ennoble 
society,  the  individual 
must  first  he  uplifted  and 
ennobled. 

"Ye  are  the  salt  of  the 
earth :  but  if  the  salt  have 
lost  his  savour  wherewith 
shall  it  be  salted?  It  is 
thenceforth  good  for  no- 
thing, but  to  be  cast  out, 
and  to  be  trodden  under 
foot  of  men."^ 

'  Matt,  v.,  13. 


Socialism 

To  uplift  and  ennoble 
the  individual,  society 
must  first  be  uplifted  and 
ennobled. 

Belfort  Bax: 

"The  ethics  of  Social- 
ism seeks  not  the  ideal 
society  through  the  ideal 
individual,  but  conversely 
the  ideal  individual 
through  the  ideal  society. 
It  finds  in  an  adequate, 
a  free  and  harmonious 
social  life,  at  once  the 
primary  condition,  and 
the  end  and  completion 
of  individuality. "  "^ 

John  S.  Spargo  : 

"In  my  humble  judg- 
ment, our  friends  who 
talk  of  solving  the  social 
problem  by  the  individ- 
ual acceptance  of  an 
ethical  ideal,  whether 
rooted  in  theological  be- 
lief or  otherwise,  are  act- 
ing as  foolishly  as  if  they 

'  The  Ethics  of  Socialism, 
p.  19. 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist  ?  67 

Christ  Socialism 

attempted  to  build  a 
cathedral  from  the  spire 
downwards.  They  are 
'placing  the  cart  before 
the  horse'  with  a  ven- 
geance! You  might  just 
as  well  argue  that  the 
pyramids  of  Egypt  were 
built  from  the  apex  to  the 
base,  as  contend  that 
moral  regeneration  must 
precede  economic  change. 
That  is  our  view."* 

Karl  Marx: 
"It  is  not  the  con- 
sciousness of  men  that 
determines  their  ex- 
istence, but  on  the 
contrary,  their  social  ex- 
istence determines  their 
consciousness."* 

»  Where  We  Stand,  Pocket 
Library  of  Socialism,  No.  52, 

P-S- 

'A  Contribution  to  the 
Critique  of  Political  Economy, 
English  Trans.,  N.  Y.,  1904, 
p.  II. 


68 


Christ's  Social  Remedies 


Christ 

Social  changes  are  to 
be  obtained  through  the 
enthronement  oj  love,  love 
Jor  God  and  love  for  man. 

"Seek  ye  first  the  king- 
dom of  God,  and  his 
righteousness ;  and  all 
these  things  shall  be  added 
unto  you."^ 

"And  thou  shalt  love 
the  Lord  thy  God  with 
all  thy  heart,  and  with  all 
thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy 
mind,  and  with  all  thy 
strength:  this  is  the  first 
commandment.  And  the 
second  is  like,  namely 
this.  Thou  shalt  love  thy 
neighbour  as  thyself. 
There  is  none  other  com- 
mandment greater  than 
these."* 

^  Matt,  vi.,  33. 
"  Mark  xii.,  30,  31. 


Socialism 

Social  changes  are  to 
be  obtained  only  through 
changed  economic  con- 
ditions. 

Frederick  Engels: 
"The  final  causes  of  all 
social  changes  and  politi- 
cal revolutions  are  to  be 
sought  not  in  men's  brains, 
not  in  man's  better  in- 
sight into  eternal  truth 
and  justice,  but  in  changes 
in  the  modes  of  produc- 
tion and  exchange.  They 
are  to  be  sought,  not  in 
the  philosophy,  but  in  the 
economics  of  each  particu- 
lar epoch."* 

Morris  Hillquit : 
"The  ultimate  aim  of 
the  Socialist  movement  is 
to  convert  the  material 
means  of  production  and 
distribution  into  the  com- 
mon property  of  the  na- 
tion as  the  only  radical 
and  effective  cure  of  all 
social  evils."* 

'  Socialism,  Utopian  and 
Scientific,  ed.  1892,  p.  45. 

'  Socialism  in  Theory  and 
Practice,  1909,  p.  211.'^ 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist  ? 


69 


Christ 

Taught  belief  in  God. 

And  Jesus  answered 
him,  The  first  of  all  the 
commandments  is,  Hear, 
O  Israel;  the  Lord  our 
God  is  bne  Lord : 

"And  thou  shalt  love 
the  Lord  thy  God  with  all 
thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy 
soul,  and  with  all  thy 
mind,  and  with  all  thy 
strength:  this  is  the  first 
commandment. ' '  ^ 

"And  Simon  Peter 
answered,  and  said.  Thou 
art  the  Christ,  the  Son 
of  the  living  God. 

"And  Jesus  answered 
and  said  unto  him,  Bles- 
sed art  thou,  Simon  Bar- 
jona:  for  flesh  and  blood 
hath  not  revealed  it  unto 
thee,  but  my  Father 
which  is  in  heaven."* 

"Hereafter  shall  the 
Son  of  man   sit  on  the 

»  Mark  xii.,  29,  30. 
•Matt,  xvi.,  16,  17. 


Socialism 

Denies  belief  in  God. 

New  Yorker  VolkS' 
zeitung,  October,  1901: 

"Socialism  and  belief 
in  God  as  is  taught  by 
Christianity  and  its  ad- 
herents are  incompatible. 
Socialism  has  no  meaning 
unless  it  is  atheistic."* 

Liebknecht's  paper 
(Der  Volkstaat)  stated 
in  1875: 

"It  is  our  duty  as  So- 
cialists to  root  out  the 
faith  in  God  with  all  our 
zeal,  nor  is  one  worthy  of 
the  name  who  does  not 
consecrate  himself  to  the 
spread  of  atheism.  "* 

E.  Untermann: 

"Religious  dogma  is  a 
survival  of  the  childhood 
of  the  race,  when  men 
bowed  in  fear  and  super- 
stition  to   the   unknown 

^  Socialism,  Victor  Cathrein, 
p.  320. 

'  J.  B.  Brooks,  Social  Un- 
rest, New  York,  1903,  p.  302. 


70 


Christ's  Social  Remedies 


Christ 


Socialism 


right  hand  of  the  power 
of  God. 

"Then  said  they  all, 
Art  thou  then  the  Son  of 
God?  And  he  said  unto 
them,  Ye  say  that  I 
am. 

"And  they  said,  What 
need  we  any  further  wit- 
ness? for  we  ourselves 
have  heard  of  his  own 
mouth.  "^ 

"And  he  saith  unto 
him,  Verily,  verily,  I  say 
unto  you,  Hereafter  ye 
shall  see  heaven  open  and 
the  angels  of  God  ascend- 
ing and  descending  upon 
the  Son  of  man."" 

"O  righteous  Father, 
the  world  doth  not  know 
thee:  but  I  have  known 
thee,  and  these  have 
known  that  thou  hast 
sent  me. 

"And  I  have  declared 


forces  of  nature  and  en- 
dowed them  with  human 
names  and  qualities.  The 
Manitou  of  the  North 
American  Indian,  the 
Zeus  of  the  Greek,  the 
Jupiter  of  the  Roman,  the 
Jehovah  of  the  Jew  and 
the  God  of  the  modem 
Christian,  are  all  the  re- 
sult of  the  same  feeling 
of  impotence  in  the  face 
of  the  elements  of  nature. 
They  clearly  testify  to  the 
fact  that  God  was  made 
in  the  image  of  man,  and 
not  man  in  the  image  of 
God.  They  are  fit  sub- 
jects for  the  romantic 
and  ignorant  imagination 
of  undeveloped  races  or  of 
the  children  of  more  ad- 
vanced nations.  They 
are  nothing  but  the  heroes 
of  fairy  tales  by  which 
nations  testify  to  their 
religious  feelings.  "^ 


*  Luke  xxii.,  69-72. 
■Johni.,  51. 


"  Appeal  to  Reason,  Feb.  21, 
1903. 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist  ? 


71 


Christ 

unto  them  thy  name,  and 
will  declare  it."* 

"Jesus  saith  tmto  her, 
Touch  me  not;  for  I  am 
not  yet  ascended  unto 
my  Father,  but  go  to  my 
brethren,  and  say  tmto 
them,  I  ascend  tmto  my 
Father,  and  your  Father; 
and  to  my  God  and  yotu* 
God.'" 

"After  this  manner 
therefore  pray  ye:  Our 
Father  which  art  in 
heaven,  hallowed  be  thy 
name."^ 

»  John  xvii.,  25,  56. 
•John  XX.,  17. 
*  Matt,  vi.,  4. 


Socialism 

Belfort  Bax: 

"Socialism  has  been 
well  described  as  a  new 
conception  of  the  world 
presenting  itself  in  in- 
dustry as  co-operative 
Communism,  in  politics 
as  International-Republi- 
canism, in  religion  as 
Atheistic  Humanism,  by 
which  is  meant  the  recog- 
nition of  social  progress 
as  our  being's  highest  end 
and  aim.  The  establish- 
ment of  society  on  a 
socialistic  basis  would  im- 
ply the  definitive  aban- 
donment of  all  theological 
ctilts,  since  the  notion  of  a 
transcendent  God  or 
semi-divine  prophet  is  but 
the  counterpart  and  ana- 
logue of  the  transcendent 
governing  class. "  * 

A.  Labriola: 

"It  is  to  be  observed 
that  an  opposite  point  of 
historic  evolution  a  great 

»  The  Religion  of  Socialism, 
1902,  p.  81. 


72  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Christ  Socialism 

number  of  thinkers  of  the 
past  century  reduced  to 
a  simple  abstract  God, 
who  is  a  simple  regent  of 
the  world,  all  that  varie- 
gated image  of  the  un- 
known and  transcenden- 
tal type,  developed  in  so 
great  a  wealth  of  mytho- 
logical. Christian  or  pagan 
creations."' 

Marx  is  reported  as 
saying: 

"The  ideal  of  God  must 
be  destroyed;  it  is  the 
keystone  of  a  perverted 
civilisation.  The  true 
root  of  liberty,  of  equality, 
of  culture,  is  atheism."* 

The  Sozial  Demokrat, 
May  25,  1880: 

"When  God  is  driven 
out  of  the  brain  of  men, 
the  whole  system  of  privi- 
lege by  the  grace  of  God 
comes  to  the  ground,  and 

I  Essays  on  the  Materialistic 
Conception  of  History,  p.  218. 

'  Pall  Mall  Magazine,  v.,  p. 
680,  note. 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist  ?  73 

Christ  Socialism 

when  heaven  hereafter  is 
recognised  as  a  big  lie  men 
will  attempt  to  establish 
heaven  here.  Therefore 
whoever  assails  Christ- 
ianity assails,  at  the  same 
time,  monarchy  and 
capitalism."* 

Robert  Rives  La 
Monte: 

"Religions,  schools  of 
ethics,  philosophy,  met- 
aphysics, art,  political 
and  jtiridicial  institutions 
are  all  to  be  explained  in 
the  last  analysis  by  the 
economic  and  telluric  en- 
vironments, present  and 
past.  This  ruthless  mate- 
rialism crushes  belief  in 
God,  in  the  soul,  in  im- 
mortality. It  leaves  no 
room  for  any  shred  of 
dualism  in  thought.  It  is 
true  that  the  German  So- 
cial Democracy  included 
in   the    famous    Erfurt 

*  U Internationale  Rouge,  by 
Dr.  Zacher,  translated  by  Rev. 
E.  M.  Geldart,  p.  22. 


74  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Christ  Socialism 

Programme  (adopted  in 
1 89 1 — the  first  clearly 
Marxian  Socialist  plat- 
form ever  promulgated) 
a  demand  for  a  '  Declara- 
tion that  religion  is  a 
private  matter.  Abolition 
of  all  expenditures  from 
public  funds  upon  eccle- 
siastical and  religious  ob- 
jects. Ecclesiastical  and 
religious  bodies  are  to  be 
regarded  as  private  asso- 
ciations, which  order 
their  affairs  independ- 
ently.* It  will  be  seen 
that  this  is  nothing  more 
than  a  demand  that  the 
State  withdraw  its  sanc- 
tion of  religion  as  France 
has  recently  done  in  the 
Clemenceau  law.  But 
Ferri  does  nothing  but 
draw  the  necessary  con- 
clusions from  Socialist 
premises  when  he  writes: 
*  God,  as  Laplace  has  said, 
is  an  hypothesis  of  which 
exact  science  has  no  need ; 
he  is,  according  to  Herzen 
at  the  most  an  X,  which 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist  ?  75 

Christ  Socialism 

represents  now  the  un- 
knowable— as  Spencer 
and  Dubois  Raymond 
contend — but  all  that 
which  humanity  does  not 
yet  know.  Therefore,  it 
is  a  variable  X  which  de- 
creases in  direct  ratio  to 
the  progress  of  the  dis- 
coveries of  science.  *  "' 

Paul  Laf argue: 
"The  victory  of  the 
proletariat  will  deliver 
humanity  from  the  night- 
mare of  religion.  The 
belief  in  superior  beings 
to  explain  the  natural 
world  and  the  social  in- 
equalities, and  to  prolong 
the  dominion  of  the  ruling 
class,  and  the  belief  in  the 
posthumous  existence  of 
the  soul  to  recompense  the 
inequalities  of  fate  will 
have  no  more  justifica- 
tion when  once  man  .  .  . 
shall  live  in  a  communist 
society  from  whence  shall 

'  Socialism,     Positive     and 
Negative,  1907,  pp.  94,  95. 


76  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Christ  Socialism 

have  disappeared  the 
inequalities  and  the  in- 
justice of  capitalist  socie- 
ties."' 

Resolution  of  Pemer- 
stofer,  adopted  by  Aus- 
trian Socialists,  May  30, 
1898: 

"We  doubt  all  author- 
ity, we  know  of  no  im- 
mutable dogma,  we  are 
champions  of  right,  lib- 
erty and  conscience."* 

"At  the  convention  of 
Spanish  Socialists  in 
Madrid,  September  21, 
1899,  it  was  resolved  'to 
expel  any  comrade  who 
supported  positive  re- 
ligion.' "3 

August  Bebel: 
"We   are   opposed  to 
every  authority,  to  that  of 
heaven  as  well  as  to  those 

» Int.  Soc.  Rev.,  Nov.,  1903. 
'  Quoted      Socialism,      by 
Cathrein,  p.  219. 
3  Ibid.,  p.  220. 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist  ?  77 

Christ  Socialism 

of  earth  with  which  you 
confront  us. "  * 

"  We  aim  in  the  domain 
of  politics  at  Republican- 
ism; in  the  domain  of 
economics  at  Socialism ; 
and  in  the  domain  of  what 
is  to-day  called  religion, 
at  Atheism."' 

Frederick  Engels: 

"We  have  simply  done 
with  God.  "3 

"Nature  exists  inde- 
pendently of  philosophy; 
it  is  the  basis  upon  which 
mankind,  itself  a  product 
of  nature,  has  grown  up; 
beyond  nature  and  man 
there  is  nothing,  and  these 

»  Speech  in  Reichstag,  Feb. 
3i  1893,  quoted  Socialism  and 
Christianity^  by  Wm.  Stang, 
p.  21. 

»  Dawson's  Lasalle  and  Ger- 
man Socialism,  p.  286,  speech 
in  the  Reichstag  on  March  31, 
1881. 

J  Quoted  Socialism  and 
Christianity  by  Wm.  Stang, 
p.  21. 


78  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Christ  Socialism 

higher  beings  created  by 
our  reHgious  fancy  are  but 
the  fantastic  reflections  of 
our  own  being.  "^ 

J.  Dietzgen: 
"If  religion  is  to  be 
understood  as  a  belief  in 
higher  gods  and  spirits, 
social  democracy  has  no 
religion."* 

» Ludwig  Fenerbach,  2d  ed., 
pp.  10,  II. 

'Religion  and  Social  Democ- 
racy, 5th  ed.,  Berlin,  1891, 
p.  16. 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist  ? 


79 


Christ 

Enjoins  absolute  sub- 
mission to  the  will  of 
God  and  implicit  obedi- 
ence to  his  commands. 

Christ  prayed: 
"Father,  if  thou  be 
willing,  remove  this  cup 
from  me ;  nevertheless  not 
my  will,  but  thine,  be 
done."^ 

"Take  my  yoke  upon 
you,  and  learn  of  me."' 

"Follow  me,"  was 
Christ's  injimction.3 

"After  this  manner 
therefore  pray  ye:  Our 
Father  which  art  in 
heaven,  .  .  . 

"Thy  kingdom  come. 
Thy  will  be  done  on  earth 
as  it  is  in  heaven.  "^ 

"Ye  are  my  friends,  if 

» Luke  xxii.,  42;  Matt,  xxvi., 
39,  42;  Mark  xiv.,  36. 
'  Matt,  xi.,  29. 
*  Matt,  iv.,  19. 
4  Matt,  vi.,  9,  10. 


Socialism 

Denies  the  right  of  God 
to  demand  obedience. 
Jean  Jaures: 

"If  God  himself  rose 
up  before  us  in  a  palpable 
form,  the  first  duty  of 
man  should  be  to  refuse 
him  obedience  and  to 
consider  him  as  an  equal 
with  whom  one  disputes 
rather  than  a  Master 
whom  one  accepts. "  * 

August  Bebel : 

"We  are  opposed  to 
every  authority,  to  that  of 
heaven  as  well  as  to  those 
of  earth  with  which  you 
confront  us.  "^ 

J.  Dietzgen: 

"Those  who  start  out 
in  life  with  the  belief  in  an 
Almighty  God  and  pros- 
trate themselves  before 
the  destinies  and  forces  of 

'  Quoted  by  The  Messenger, 
New  York,  June,  1905,  p.  694. 

"  Speech  in  Reichstag,  Feb. 
3,  1903,  quoted  Socialism  by 
Victor  Cathrein,  1904,  p.  238. 


8o 


Christ's  Social  Remedies 


Christ 

ye  do  the  things    which 
I  command  you.  "^ 

"If  ye  love  me,  ye  will 
keep  my  command- 
ments."* 

'  John  XV.,  14. 
*  John  xiv.,  15. 


Socialism 

nature  and  in  their  piteous 
'  feeling  of  impotency  moan 
for  mercy,  are  anything 
but  efficient  members  of 
modern  society."^ 

E.  Untermann: 

"If  a  supreme  being 
created  this  world  in  its 
beginning,  and  then  left 
us  to  ourselves,  because 
we  refused  to  submit  to  a 
divine  tyrant,  so  much  the 
worse  for  him.  We  have 
managed  to  struggle  along 
without  his  help  so  long, 
and  can  also  rise  higher 
without  him  in  the  fu- 
ture.'" 

F.  Engels: 

"In  economic  life  still 
the  saying  holds:  man 
proposes,  but  God  (that  is 
the  foreign  power  of  capi- 
talistic production)  dis- 
poses.  But  when  once  the 

»  The  Passing  of  Capitalism, 
p.  49. 

^Appeal  to  Reason,  Feb.  21, 
1903. 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist?  8i 

Christ  Socialism 

great  social  deed  will  have 
been  accomplished,  when, 
by  the  seizure  and  the 
well — concerned  adminis- 
tration of  all  productive 
means,  society  will  have 
rescued  itself  and  its  mem- 
bers from  servitude,  and 
man  will  not  only  propose, 
but  also  dispose,  then  the 
last  foreign  power  which 
is  still  reflected  in  religion 
will  disappear,  and  with 
it  also  religious  reflection 
will  cease,  for  the  simple 
reason  that  nothing  re- 
mains to  be  reflected."^ 

3  Umwalzungen  der  Wissen- 
schaft,  pp.  304,  306. 


82 


Christ's  Social  Remedies 


Christ 

Taught  the  existence  of 
another  world  in  which 
God  resides. 

In  the  Lord's  prayer 
Christ  taught  ; 

"Thy  Kingdom  come, 
thy  will  be  done,  on  earth 
as  it  is  in  heaven."^ 

"And  I  will  give  unto 
thee  the  keys  of  the 
kingdom  of  heaven;  and 
whatsoever  thou  shalt 
bind  on  earth  shall  be 
bound  in  heaven;  and 
whatsoever  thou  shalt 
loose  on  earth  shall  be 
loosed  in  heaven. " ' 

"In  my  Father's  house 
are  many  mansions:  if  it 
were  not  so,  I  would 
have  told  you.  I  go  to 
prepare  a  place  for  you. "  ^ 

"Your  Father  which  is 
in  heaven.""* 

»  Matt,  vi.,  10;  Luke  ix.,  2. 

"  Matt,  xxvi.,  19. 

3  John  xiv.,  2. 

♦  Matt,  v.,  16,  45;  vi.,  I,  9; 
vii.,  II,  21;  X.,  32,  33;  xii.,  50; 
xvi.,  17;  xviii.,  10,  14,  19. 


Socialism 

Denies  the  existence  of 
another  world. 

Frederick  Engels: 

"Beyond  natture  and 
man  there  exists  no- 
thing."^ 

W.  Liebknecht  (Feb. 
7,1893): 

"The  state  of  the  future 
is  a  matter  of  imagina- 
tion; ...  it  is  in  certain 
respects  an  ideal,  but 
science  was  never  con- 
cerned about  it.  Our  party 
has  .  .  .  never  admitted 
into  its  platform  the 
Utopia  of  a  futtue  state; 
.  .  .  our  party  has  never 
spoken  to  the  working- 
men  about  the  future 
state,  except  as  about  a 
Utopia.  "^^ 

'  E.  Duhrungs,  Umwalzungen 
der  Wissenschaft,  2d  ed.,  p.  11. 

*  Quoted  Socialism,hy  Cath- 
rein,  p.  239. 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist? 


83 


Christ 

Taught  the  immortal- 
ity of  the  soul. 

To  the  dying  thief, 
Christ  said:  "To-day 
shalt  thou  be  with  me 
in  paradise."^ 

"  And  Jesus  answered 
and  said,  verily  I  say 
unto  you,  There  is  no 
man  that  hath  left  house, 
or  brethren,  or  sisters, 
or  father,  or  mother,  or 
wife,  or  children,  or  lands, 
for  my  sake,  and  the 
gospel's ; 

"But  he  shall  receive 
...  in  the  world  to  come 
eternal  life."' 

"And  these  shall  go 
away  into  everlasting 
punishment ;  but  the 
righteous  into  life  eter- 
nal. "^ 

"And  they  shall  come 
from  the  east,  and  from 

'  Luke  xxiii.,  43. 
»  Mark  x.,  29,  30;  Matt,  xix., 
29;  Luke  xviii.,  26,  30. 
3  Matt.  XXV.,  46. 


Socialism 

Denies  the  immortal- 
ity of  the  soul. 
Paul  Laf argue: 

"The  idea  of  the  soul 
and  its  survival  is  an  in- 
vention of  the  savages 
who  allowed  themselves 
an  immaterial  and  im- 
mortal spirit  to  explain 
the  phenomena  of 
dreams,"^ 

Belfort  Bax: 

"The  moment  this  be- 
lief in  after-death  exist- 
ence is  erected  into  a 
dogma,  the  moment  it 
comes  to  be  looked  upon 
as  an  article  of  faith  which 
it  is  a  duty  to  hold,  or  at 
least  which  it  is  the  evi- 
dence of  an  ignoble  dispo- 
sition of  mind  not  to  hold, 
then  it  becomes  an  enemy 
to  be  combated."' 

'  Social  and  Philosophical 
Studies,  Trans,  by  C.  Kerr, 
Chicago,  1906,  p.  12. 

*  Ethics  of  Socialism,  Lon- 
don, 1902,  p.  196. 


84  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Christ  Socialism 

the  west,  and  from  the 
north,  and  from  the 
south,  and  shall  sit  down 
in  the  kingdom  of  God."* 

"Jesus  said  unto  her, 
I  am  the  resurrection  and 
the  life ;  he  that  believeth 
in  me,  though  he  were 
dead,  yet  shall  he  live. 

"And  whosoever  liveth 
and  believeth  in  me  shall 
never  die."" 

^  Luke  xiii.,  29. 
'  John  xi.,  25,  26. 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist? 


85 


Christ 

Teaches  the  blessedness 
of  the  other  world. 

"Then  shaU  the  King 
say  unto  them  on  his 
right  hand,  Come,  ye 
blessed  of  my  Father, 
inherit  the  kingdom  pre- 
pared for  you  from  the 
foundation  of  the 
world.  "^ 

"Notwithstanding  in 
this  rejoice  not,  that  the 
spirits  are  subject  unto 
you;  but  rather  rejoice, 
because  yoiu"  names  are 
written  in  heaven. " ' 

'  Matt.  XXV.,  34. 
'  Luke  X.,  20. 


Socialism 

Despises  the  other 
world. 

Belfort  Bax: — 

"In  what  sense  Social- 
ism is  not  religion  will  now 
be  clear.  It  utterly  de- 
spises the  other  world  with 
all  its  stage  properties, 
that  is,  the  present  objects 
of  religion."^ 

The  Sozial  Demokrat, 
May  25,  1880: 

"When  God  is  driven 
out  of  the  brain  of  men,  the 
whole  system  of  privilege 
by  the  grace  of  God  comes 
to  the  ground,  and  when 
heaven  hereafter  is  recog- 
nised as  a  big  lie  men 
will  attempt  to  establish 
heaven  here.  Therefore 
whoever  assails  Christian- 
ity assails,  at  the  same 
time,  monarchy  and 
capitalism."' 

'  Religion  of  Socialism,  p.  52. 

'  V Internationale  Rouge,  by 
Dr.  Zacher,  translated  by  Rev. 
E.  M.  Geldart,  p.  22. 


86 


Christ's  Social  Remedies 


Christ 


Socialism 


Only  through  the  mercy 
of  God  can  man  be  re- 
deemed. 

"And  they  were  aston- 
ished out  of  measure,  say- 
ing among  themselves, 
Who  then  can  be  saved? 

"And  Jesus  looking 
upon  them  saith.  With 
men  it  is  impossible,  but 
not  with  God:  for  with 
God  all  things  are  possi- 
ble."^ 

"And  Jesus  walking  by 
the  sea  of  Galilee,  saw  two 
brethren,  Simon  called 
Peter,  and  Andrew  his 
brother,  casting  a  net  into 
the  sea:  for  they  were 
fishers. 

"And  He  saith  unto 
them.  Follow  me,  and  I 
will  make  you  fishers  of 
men. 

"And  they  straightway 
left  their  nets,  and  fol- 
lowed Him."' 

^  Mark  x.,  26,  27;  Matt,  xix., 
26,  27;  Luke  xviii.,  26,  27. 
»Matt.  iv.,  18-20. 


Work  is  the  only  re- 
deemer of  man. 

J.  Dietzgen: 

"Work  is  the  name  of 
the  New  Redeemer." 
"Conscious,  systematic 
organisation  of  social  la- 
bour is  the  redeemer  of 
modern  times.  "^ 

A.  Bebel; 

"No  man,  no  God  in 
human  form,  no  Saviour, 
can  redeem  humanity. 
Only  humanity  itself — 
only  labouring  humanity 
— can  save  humanity."" 

"To  make  his  living 
the  priest  will  be  obliged 
to  work,  and  learning 
thereby  he  will  finally 
come  to  the  conviction 
that  to  be  the  highest  is 
to  be  a  man."  3 

I  Philosophical  Essays,  pp. 
94,  lOI. 

'Quoted  by  Cathrein,  So- 
cialism, p.  213. 

» Die  Frau,  p.  320. 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist  ? 


87 


Christ 

Taught  the  perman- 
ency of  religion. 

"Heaven  and  earth 
shall  pass  away:  but  my 
words  shall  not  pass 
away. "  * 

'  Luke  xxi.,  33. 


Socialism 

Teaches  the  transitori- 
ness  of  religion. 

Enrico  Fern: 

"  Socialism  does  not  feel 
the  necessity  of  waging 
a  special  war  against  these 
religious  beliefs,  which 
are  destined  to  disappear. 
It  has  assumed  this  atti- 
tude, although  it  knows 
the  absence  or  impair- 
ment of  the  belief  in  God 
is  one  of  the  most  power- 
ful factors  for  its  exten- 
sion. 

"Socialism  knows  and 
foresees  that  religious 
beliefs,  whether  one  re- 
gards them  with  Sergi  as 
pathological  phenomena 
of  human  psychology, 
or  as  useless  phenomena 
of  moral  incrustation,  are 
destined  to  perish  by  atro- 
phy with  the  extension  of 
even  elementary  scien- 
tific culture. "  ^ 


'  Socialism 
Science,  p.  63. 


and      Modern 


88  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Christ  Socialism 

J.  Dietzgen: 

"The  progress  or  de- 
velopment of  religion 
consists  in  its  gradual 
dissolution.  .  .  .  Where 
man  becomes  conscious  of 
his  task,  where  he  recog- 
nises in  himself  the 
absolute  organiser,  there 
the  place  of  the  religious 
conception  is  taken  by 
the  anti-religious  social 
democracy."^ 

Belfort  Bax: 

"  Our  ideal  will  cease  to 
have  for  its  object  God 
and  'another  world'  and 
be  brought  back  to  its 
original  sphere  of  social 
life  and  this  world. " 

"The  devotion  of  the 
member  of  the  socialised 
community,  like  the  de- 
votion of  all  true  Social- 
ists to-day,  will  be  based 
on  science  and  involve  no 
cults.  "=• 

^  Philosophical  Essays,   pp. 

Il8,  121. 

'  Religion  of  Sociahsm,  pp. 
36,  52. 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist  ?  89 

Christ  Socialism 

A.  Loria: — 
"Only  with  the  advent 
of  this  final  social  form 
will  the  idea  of  an  irresisti- 
ble power,  superior  to  the 
forces  surrounding  man- 
kind, ultimately  disap- 
pear, and  therewith  also 
the  religious  sentiment, 
which  is  its  natural 
corollary."* 

Karl  Marx: — 
"The  abolition  of  relig- 
ion as  the  deceptive  hap- 
piness of  the  people  is 
a  necessary  condition  of 
their  happiness . "  "  Reli- 
gion will  vanish  with  the 
change  of  the  unjust 
economic  conditions,  with 
the  passing  of  capitalist 
production  on  which  it 
rests.'" 

Frederick  Engels: 
"Religion    is     nothing 

*  Economic  Foundations,    p. 
24. 

»  Capital,  London,  1902,  p. 

51- 


90  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Christ  Socialism 

but  the  fantastic  reflec- 
tion in  the  brains  of  men 
of  those  powers  by  whom 
their  daily  existence  is 
dominated,  a  reflection  in 
which  the  natural  forces 
assume  supernatural 
forms. 

"The  forces  of  nature 
are  now  known  to  a  great 
extent.  The  only  basis  of 
religious  reflex  action  yet 
remaining  are  the  econo- 
mic conditions,  by  which 
man  feels  himself  ruled 
as  by  a  foreign  power.  In 
economic  life  still  the  say- 
ing holds:  man  proposes 
but  God  (that  is  the 
foreign  power  of  capital- 
istic production)  disposes. 
But  when  once  the  great 
social  deed  will  have  been 
accomplished,  when,  by 
the  seiztire  and  the  well- 
converted  administration 
of  all  productive  means, 
society  will  have  rescued 
itself  and  its  members 
from  servitude,  and  man 
will  not  only  propose,  but 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist?  91 

Christ  Socialism 

also  dispose,  then  the  last 
foreign  power  which  is 
still  reflected  in  religion 
will  disappear,  and  with 
it  also  religious  reflection 
will  cease,  for  the  sim- 
ple reason  that  nothing 
remains  to  be  reflected. 
Then  religion  will  die  a 
natural  death.  "^ 

August  Bebel: 

"Religion  is  the  tran- 
scendental reflection  of 
the  social  conditions  of 
given  epochs.  In  the 
measure  that  human  de- 
velopment advances,  and 
society  is  transformed, 
religion  is  transformed 
along  with  it."' 

P.    Laf argue: 

"The  victory  of  the 
proletariat  will  deliver 
humanity  from  the  night- 

» E.  Duhrungs  Umwdlzungen 
der  Wissenschaft,  2d  ed.,  pp. 
II,  304.  306. 

'Quoted  by  Goldstein,  So- 
cialism, p.  137. 


92  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Christ  Socialism 

mare  of  religion.  The 
belief  in  superior  beings 
to  explain  the  natural 
worid  and  the  social  in- 
equalities and  to  prolong 
the  dominion  of  the  ruling 
class,  in  the  posthumous 
existence  of  the  soul,  to 
recompense  the  inequal- 
ity of  fate,  will  have  no 
more  justification  when 
once  man,  who  has  already- 
grasped  the  general  cause 
of  the  phenomena  of 
nature,  shall  live  in  a 
communist  society  from 
whence  shall  have  dis- 
appeared the  inequali- 
ties and  the  injustice  of 
capitalistic  society. "  * 

Robert  Rives  La 
Monte: 

"Socialist  parties  do 
not  attack  Religion,  the 
Family  or  the  State.  But 
Socialist  philosophy 
proves  conclusively  that 
the  realisation  of  the  pos- 

'  Int.  Soc.  Rev.,  Nov.,  1903, 
p.  293. 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist  ?  93 

Christ  Socialism 

itive  political  and  eco- 
nomic ideals  of  Socialism 
involves  the  atrophy  of 
Religion,  the  metamor- 
phosis of  the  Family,  and 
the  suicide  of  the  State. ' '  ^ 

'  Socialism,  Positive  and  Neg- 
ative, 1907,  p.  89. 


94 


Christ's  Social  Remedies 


Christ 

The  State  should  be 
upheld. 

"And  Jesus  answering 
said  unto  them,  Render 
to  Cassar  the  things  that 
are  Caesar's,  and  to  God 
the  things  that  are 
God's.  "^ 

"And  when  they  were 
come  to  Capernaum,  they 
that  received  tribute 
money  came  to  Peter,  and 
said.  Doth  not  your  mas- 
ter pay  tribute? 

"He  saith,  Yes.  And 
when  he  had  come  into 
the  house,  Jesus  pre- 
vented him,  saying.  What 
thinkest  thou,  Simon?  of 
whom  do  the  kings  of  the 
earth  take  custom  or 
tribute?  of  their  own 
children,  or  of  strangers? 

"Peter  saith  unto  him, 
of  strangers.  Jesus  saith 
unto  him.  Then  are  the 
children  free. 

"Notwithstanding,  lest 

'  Mark  xii.,  17;  Matt,  xxii., 
21;  Luke  XX.,  25. 


Socialism 

The  State  should  be 
abolished. 

Frederick  Engels: 
"We  are  now  rapidly 
approaching  a  stage  of 
evolution  in  production  in 
which  the  distinction  of 
classes  has  not  only  ceased 
to  be  a  necessity,  but 
becomes  a  positive  fetter 
to  production.  Hence 
these  classes  must  fall  as 
inevitably  as  they  once 
arose.  The  State  must 
irrevocably  fall  with  them. 
The  society  that  is  to 
reorganise  production  on 
the  basis  of  a  free  and 
equal  association  of  the 
producers,  will  transfer 
the  machinery  of  the  State 
where  it  will  then  belong, 
into  the  Museum  of 
Antiquities  by  the  side 
of  the  spinning  wheel  and 
the  bronze  axe. "  ^ 

Communist    Mani- 
festo— Part  II: 

"  When  in  the  course  of 
*  Origin  of  the  Family,  p.  21 1. 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist? 


95 


Christ 

we  should  offend  them, 
go  thou  to  the  sea,  and 
cast  an  hook,  and  take 
up  the  fish  that  first 
Cometh  up;  and  when 
thou  hast  opened  his 
mouth,  thou  shalt  find  a 
piece  of  money ;  that  take 
and  give  unto  them  for  me 
and  thee."' 

"And  the  whole  multi- 
tude of  them  arose,  and 
led  him  unto  Pilate. 

"And  they  began  to  ac- 
cuse him,  saying.We  found 
this  fellow  perverting  the 
nation,  and  forbidding  to 
give  tribute  to  Csesar, 
saying  that  he  himself  is 
Christ  a  King. 

"And  Pilate,  when  he 
had  called  together  the 
chief  priests  and  the  rulers 
and  the  people, 

"Said  unto  them,  Ye 
have  brought  this  man 
unto  me,  as  one  that  per- 
verteth  the  people:  and, 
behold,  I,  having  exam- 
ined him  before  you,  have 
found  no  fault  in  this  man 

*  Matt,  xvii.,  24-27. 


Socialism 

development,  class  dis- 
tinctions have  disap- 
peared and  all  production 
has  been  concentrated  in 
the  hands  of  a  vast  asso- 
ciation of  the  whole  na- 
tion, the  public  power  will 
lose  its  political  character. 
Political  power,  properly 
so  called,  is  merely  the 
organised  power  of  one 
class  for  oppressing  the 
other.  If  the  proletariat 
during  its  contest  with  the 
bourgeois  is  compelled, 
by  the  force  of  circum- ' 
stances,  to  organise  itself 
as  a  class,  if,  by  means  of 
a  revolution  it  makes 
itself  the  ruling  class, 
and  as  such  sweeps  away 
by  force  the  old  conditions 
of  production,  then  it  will, 
along  with  these  condi- 
tions, have  swept  away 
the  conditions  for  the 
existence  of  class  anta- 
gonisms, and  of  classes 
generally,  and  will  there- 
by have  abolished  its  own 
supremacy  as  a  class."* 

'  Quoted  Morality  of  Modern 
Socialism,  by  John  J.  Ming,  S. 
J.,  1909,  p.  298. 


96 


Christ's  Social  Remedies 


Christ 

touching  those  things 
whereof  ye  accuse  him : 

"No,  nor  yet  Herod: 
for  I  sent  you  to  him ;  and, 
lo,  nothing  worthy  of 
death  is  done  unto  him."' 

»Luke  xxiii.,  1,2,  13-15 


Socialism 

August  Bebel: 

"  The  State  is  the  inevi- 
table necessary  organisa- 
tion of  a  civil  order  that 
rests  upon  class  rule.  The 
moment  class  organisa- 
tions fall  through  the 
abolition  of  private  pro- 
perty, the  State  loses 
both  the  necessity  and 
the  possibility  for  its  ex- 
istence. With  the  re- 
moval of  the  conditions 
of  rulership,  the  State 
gradually  ceases  to  be, 
the  same  as  creeds  wane 
when  the  belief  ceases 
in  supernatural  beings  or 
in  transcendental  powers 
gifted  with  reason.  Words 
must  have  sense;  if  they 
lose  that,  they  cease  to 
convey  ideas."' 

Robert  Rives  La 
Monte: 

"It  is  thus  seen  that, 
according  to  the  teaching 
of  historical  materialism, 

*  Woman,  p.  272.  See  also 
p.  318. 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist  ?  97 

Christ  Socialism 

the  State  is  destined, 
when  it  becomes  the  State 
of  the  working-class,  to 
remove  its  own  founda- 
tion— economic  inequal- 
ity— and  thus  to  commit 
suicide."^ 

»  Socialism,  Positive  and  Neg 
alive,  p.  113. 


98 


Christ's  Social  Remedies 


Christ 

Opposed  to  the  use  of 
violence  to  accomplish 
His  ends. 

"Then  said  Jesus  unto 
him,  Put  up  again  thy 
sword  into  his  place ;  for  all 
they  that  take  the  sword 
shall  perish  with  the 
sword. 

"Thinkest  thou  that  I 
cannot  now  pray  to  my 
Father,  and  he  shall  pre- 
sently give  me  more  than 
twelve  legions  of  angels? 

* '  And  they  that  had  laid 
hold  on  Jesus  led  him  away 
to  Caiaphas  the  high  priest , 
where  the  scribes  and  the 
elders  were  assembled."^ 

"And  one  of  them 
smote  the  servant  of  the 
high  priest,  and  cut  off 
his  right  ear. 

"And  Jesus  answered 
and  said,  Suffer  ye  thus 
far.  And  he  touched  his 
ear,  and  healed  him."* 

^Matt.  xxvi.,  52,  53,  57; 
John  xviii.,  10,  11. 
'Luke  xxii.,  50,  51. 


Socialism 

Advocates  the  use  of 
violence  to  accomplish  its 
ends. 

' '  Marx  declared  at  the 
Congress  of  The  Hague : 

"In  most  countries  of 
Europe  violence  must  be 
the  lever  of  our  social 
reform.  We  must  finally 
have  recourse  to  violence 
in  order  to  establish  the 
rule  of  labour.  .  .  .  The 
revolution  must  be  uni- 
versal, and  we  find  a 
conspicuous  example  in 
the  Commime  of  Paris, 
which  has  failed  because 
in  other  capitals — Berlin 
and  Madrid — a  simul- 
taneous revolutionary 
movement  did  not  break 
out  in  connection  with 
this  mighty  upheaval  of 
the  proletariat  in  Paris.  "* 

"We  are  ruthless  and 
want  no  consideration 
from  you  (the  bourgeoisie) . 

'  Quoted  Socialism  by  Victor 
Cathrein,  7th  German  ed. 
1904,  p.  209. 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist  99 

Christ  Socialism 

When  our  turn  comes,  re- 
volutionary terrorism  will 
not  be  sugar-coated.  .  .  . 
There  is  but  one  way  of 
simplifying,  shortening, 
concentrating  the  death 
agony  of  the  old  society 
as  well  as  the  bloody 
labour  of  the  new  world's 
birth — revolutionary 
Terror."' 

"  Bebel,  commenting 
in  the  German  Reichs- 
tag upon  occurrences  in 
Paris,  says: 

" '  These  events  are  but 
a  slight  skirmish  in  the  war 
which  the  proletariat  is 
prepared  to  wage  against 
all  palaces.'  On  another 
occasion  he  declares  that 
this  reform  cannot  be 
brought  about  by  sprink- 
ling rosewater.  In  one  of 
his  works,  Unsere  Ziele, 
p.  44,  he  writes  as  follows, 
on  the  application  of 
violence:  'We  must  not 

^Die  Neue  Rheinische  Zeit' 
ung,  No.  301,  May  19,  1849. 


100         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Christ  Socialism 

shudder  at  the  thought  of 
the  possible  employment 
of  violence;  we  must  not 
raise  an  alarm-cry  at 
the  suppression  of  "  exist- 
ing rights,"  at  violent 
expropriation,  etc.  His- 
tory teaches  that  at  all 
times  new  ideas,  as  a  rule, 
were  realised  by  a  violent 
conflict  with  the  defenders 
of  the  past,  and  that  the 
combatants  for  new  ideas 
struck  blows  as  deadly 
as  possible  at  the  de- 
fenders of  antiquity.  Not 
without  reason  does  Karl 
Marx,  in  his  work  on 
Capital,  exclaim:  "Vio- 
lence is  the  obstetrician 
that  waits  on  every 
ancient  society  which  is 
about  to  give  birth  to  a 
new  one;  violence  is  in 
itself  a  social  factor. "  * 


*  Quoted  Socialism  by  Cath- 
rein,  7th  German  ed.  1904,  p. 
209. 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist  ?  loi 

Christ  Socialism 

"  At  the  Socialist  con- 
vention of  Ghent  (1877) 
Liebknecht  exclaimed: 

'"The  army  will  after 
all  consist  of  sons  of  the 
people  whom  we  are  gain- 
ing over  by  our  revolu- 
tionary propaganda.  .  .  . 
When  the  day  shall  have 
arrived,  rifles  and  can- 
nons will  of  their  own 
accord  face  about  to  pros- 
trate the  foes  of  the 
Socialist  people. ' "' 

Enrico  Ferri: 

"The  process  of  social 
transformation,  as  well 
as — imder  varied  names 
— those  of  every  sort  of 
transformation  in  living 
organisms  are:  evolution, 
revolution,  rebellion, 
individual  violenc3. "' 

Charles  H.  Kerr: 
"As  to  the  means  by 

*  Quoted  by  Cathrein,  Social- 
ism, p.  210. 

'Socialism  and  Modern 
Science,  trans,  by  R.  R.  La 
Monte,  1904,  p.  138. 


102         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Christ  Socialism 

which  the  capitalist  class 
is  to  be  overthrown,  the 
real  question  worth  con- 
sidering is  what  means 
will  prove  most  effective. 
If  it  could  best  be  done 
by  working  for  '  one  thing 
at  a  time'  and  bidding 
for  the  votes  of  the  people 
who  have  no  idea  what 
the  class-struggle  means, 
we  should  no  doubt  favour 
that  method.  But  history- 
has  made  it  very  clear 
that  such  a  method  is  a 
dead  failure.  ...  If,  on 
the  other  hand,  the  work- 
ing-class could  best  gain 
power  by  taking  up  arms, 
just  as  the  capitalist  class 
did  when  it  dislodged  the 
land-holding  nobility 
from  power,  why  not?"^ 

Joseph  Dietzgen: 
"  O  ye  short-sighted  and 
narrow-minded,  who  can- 
not give  up  the  fad  of  the 
modern  organic  progress! 

*  What  to  Read  on  Socialism, 
Nov.,  1906,  Chicago,  p.  10. 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist?  103 

Christ  Socialism 

Don't  you  perceive  that 
all  our  great  liberal 
passions  sink  to  the  level 
of  mere  trifling,  because 
the  great  question  of 
social  salvation  is  on  the 
order  of  the  day?  Don't 
you  perceive  that  strug- 
gle and  destruction  must 
precede  peace  and  con- 
struction,  and  that 
chaotic  accumtilation  of 
material  is  the  necessary 
condition  of  systematic 
organisation,  just  as  the 
calm  precedes  the  tempest 
and  the  latter  the  general 
purification  of  the  air? 
.  .  .  History  stands  still, 
because  she  gathers  force 
for  a  great  catastrophe.  "^ 

Belfort  Bax: 
"  But  the  sudden  expro- 
priation, in  other  words, 
the  revolutionary  crisis, 
will  have  to  be  led  up  to  by 
a  series  of  non-revolution- 
ary   political    acts.  .  .  . 

» Philosophical  Essays,   pp. 
99,  100. 


104         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Christ  Socialism 

When  that  crisis  comes 
the  great  act  of  confisca- 
tion will  be  the  seal  of  the 
new  era.  "^ 

Morris  Hillquit: 
"And  similarly  silent  is 
the  Socialist  programme 
on  the  question  whether 
the  gradual  expropriation 
of  the  possessing  class  will 
be  accomplished  by  a 
process  of  confiscation  or 
by  the  method  of  com- 
pensation. The  greater 
number  of  Socialist  wri- 
ters incline  towards  the 
latter  assumption,  but  in 
that  they  merely  express 
their  individual  present 
preferences.  Social  devel- 
opment, and  especially 
social  revolutions,  are  not 
in  the  habit  of  consulting 
cut  and  dried  theories 
evolved  by  philosophers 
of  past  generations,  and 
social  justice  is  more 
frequently  a  question  of 
social  expediency  and 
I  Ethics  of  Socialism,  p.  82. 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist  105 


Christ  Socialism 

class  power.  The  French 
clergy  was  not  compen- 
sated for  the  lands  taken 
from  it  by  the  bourgeois 
revolution,  and  the  Rus- 
sian noblemen  and  Ameri- 
can slave  owners  were  not 
compensated  upon  the 
emancipation  of  their 
serfs  and  chattel  slaves. 
It  is  not  unlikely  that 
in  countries  in  which  the 
social  transformation  will 
be  accomplished  peace- 
ftdly,  the  State  will  com- 
pensate the  expropriated 
proprietor,  while  every 
violent  revolution  will  be 
followed  by  confiscation. 
The  Socialists  are  not 
much  concerned  about 
this  issue.  Their  aim  is 
the  establishment  of  a 
State  in  which  exploita- 
tion of  man  by  man  shall 
become  impossible,  and 
when  private  wealth  has 
been  robbed  of  the  char- 
acter of  employing  and 
exploiting  capital,  its 
possession  by  a  number 


io6         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Christ  Socialism 

of  individuals  ceases  to 
be  a  menacing  factor  in  a 
Socialist  State." ^ 

*  Socialism   in    Theory  and 
Practice,  1909,  pp.  103,  104. 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist?  107 

The  foregoing  quotations  are  a  few  character- 
istic samples  taken  from  the  sociaHstic  teachings 
of  the  founders  and  of  the  contemporaneous  leaders 
of  the  cause,  and  do  not  by  any  means  comprise 
the  entire  literature  on  these  phases  of  the  subject. 
This  entire  volume  could  be  filled  with  like  or 
similar  statements  from  other  past  and  present- 
day  leaders  of  SociaUsm  in  Europe  and  America. 

The  quotations  seem  to  indicate  that  the 
teaching  of  Christ  and  the  teaching  of  SociaHsm 
are  absolutely  and  irreconcilably  antagonistic. 
That  the  leaders  of  Socialism  have  reached  this 
conclusion  we  may  gather  from  their  written 
statements. 

Isador  Ladoff  says:  "To  combine  the  terms 
Christianity  and  SociaUsm  is  just  as  sensible  as  to 
combine  the  terms  Anarchism  and  Socialism.  One 
excludes  the  other  as  its  antithesis,  as  its  negation."  * 

Edward  Aveling,  in  To-day  writes: 

"Whether  anything  is  done  or  nothing  is  done,  little 
that  is  of  any  real  lasting  value  can  be  done  until  men 
and  women  fairly  face  the  fact  that  the  terrible 
condition  of  our  poor  is  due,  as  are  so  many  other 
ills,  to  the  two  curses  of  our  country  and  times. 
These  two  curses  are  Capitalism  and  Christianity. 
...  I  know  that  Christianity  and  Capitalism  support 
and  are  supported  by  each  other.  They  are  Siamese 
twins.  They  live,  they  die  together.  A  blow  at  one 
is   a   blow   at   both.     Christianity   is   a   pander   to 

'  The  Passing  of  Capitalism,  p.  49. 


io8         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Capitalism,  bringing  to  it  for  prey  the  fair  virgin 
called  Labour,  beguiled  by  the  hope  of  a  beautiful 
hereafter. 

"In  Christianity  we  see  not  only  a  supporter  of  the 
greatest  evils,  but  a  system  that  by  its  fundamental 
principles  vitiates  human  thoughts  and  distracts  the 
attention  of  mankind  from  the  natural  and  actual. 
Against  these,  Christianity  and  Capitalism,  there- 
fore, we  fight.  So  indissoluble  are  these  two,  so  ab- 
solutely does  the  happiness  of  the  future  race  depend 
on  their  downfall,  that  we  re-echo  with  a  modification 
the  cry  of  Voltaire,  'Ecrasez  L'inf^me.'  "* 

G.  D.  Herron  says: 

"Christianity  to-day  stands  for  what  is  lowest  and 
basest  in  life.  The  Church  of  to-day  sounds  the  lowest 
note  in  human  life.  It  is  the  most  degrading  of  all 
our  institutions,  and  the  most  brutalising  in  its  effects 
on  common  life.  The  Church  is  simply  organised 
Christianity.  For  Socialism  to  use  it,  to  make  terms 
with  it,  or  to  let  it  make  approaches  to  the  Socialist 
movement  is  for  Socialism  to  take  Judas  to  its  bosom." " 

Belfort  Bax  writes: 

"It  is  useless  blinking  the  fact  that  the  Christian 
doctrine  is  more  revolting  to  the  higher  moral  sense 
of  to-day  than  the  Satiirnalia  or  the  cult  of  Prosperine 
could  have  been  to  the  conscience  of  the  early  Christ- 
ians. And  more  than  this,  the  social  and  humanistic 
tendencies  of  the  age,  the  consciousness  of  human 

*  Quoted  by  Goldstein,  Socialism,  pp.  26,  27. 
'  Ibid.,  p.  93. 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist?  109 

welfare  and  human  development  as  'our  being's' 
end  and  aim,  as  the  sole  object  worthy  of  human 
devotion,  must  instinctively  shrink  from  its  antithesis, 
the  theological  spirit,  and  this  despite  the  emasctilated 
free  Christian  and  theistic  guise  in  which  the  latter 
may  appear  at  present.  'Ye  cannot  serve  God  and 
humanity,'  is  the  burden  of  the  nobler  instincts  of  our 
epoch."' 

E.  Ferri  in  the  Avanti,  writes:  "The  civilisa- 
tion of  social  democracy  will  never  befoul  itself 
with  Christianity."' 

Hie  Sozial  Demokrat  says: 

"Christianity  is  the  greatest  enemy  of  Socialism. 
When  God  is  expelled  from  himian  brains,  what  is 
called  the  Divine  Grace  will  at  the  same  time  be 
banished ;  and  when  the  heaven  above  appears  nothing 
more  than  an  immense  falsehood,  men  will  seek  to 
create  for  themselves  a  heaven  below.  "^ 

James  Leatham,  testifies: 

"  At  the  present  moment  I  cannot  remember  a  single 
instance  of  a  person  who  is  at  one  and  the  same  time  a 
really  earnest  and  intelligent  Socialist  and  an  orthodox 
Christian.  Those  who  do  not  openly  attack  the 
Church  and  the  fabric  of  Christianity  show  but  scant 
respect  to  either  one  or  the  other  in  private.  .  .  . 
And  while  all  of  us  are  thus  indifferent  to  the  Church, 

*  Ethics  of  Socialism,  pp.  46,  47. 

*  Quoted  by  Goldstein,  Socialism,  p.  25. 
i  Ibid.,  p.  116. 


no         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

many  of  us  are  frankly  hostile  to  her.  Marx,  Lasalle, 
and  Engels  among  earlier  Socialists,  Morris,  Bax, 
Hyndman,  Guesce,  and  Bebel  among  present-day 
Socialists,  are  all  more  or  less  avowed  atheists,  and 
what  is  true  of  the  notable  men  of  the  party  is  almost 
equally  true  of  the  rank  and  file  the  world  over.  "* 

Joseph  Dietzgen  has  written: 

"Socialism  and  Christianity  differ  from  each  other 
as  the  day  does  from  the  night.  To  be  sure,  there  are 
points  of  resemblance  between  them.  But  show  me 
the  thing  to  which  no  analogy  could  be  found.  .  .  . 
Though  Christianity  and  Socialism  may  have  some 
points  in  common,  it  is  none  the  less  true  that  who- 
ever mistakes  Christ  for  a  Socialist  is  purely  a  danger- 
ous muddlehead."^ 

Since  the  teachings  of  Christ  and  the  doctrines  of 
Socialism  are  antagonistic,  it  follows  as  a  natural 
sequence  that  Socialism,  in  order  to  achieve  its 
goal,  must  blot  out  from  the  minds  of  men  belief 
in  God  and  loyalty  to  Christ,  and  must  uproot  and 
obliterate  the  Christian  Church  from  ofiE  the  face 
of  the  earth. 

The  Erfurt  Programme  of  1891  declares  its  main 
principle  to  be 

"the  transformation  of  private  capitalistic  property 
in  the  means  of  production — i.e.,  land,  mines  and 
mining,  raw  materials,  tools,  machinery,  and  means  of 

^Quoted  by  Goldstein,  Socialism,  p.  95. 
'  Philosophical  Essays,  p.  122. 


Was  Christ  a  Socialist ?  in 

commiinication — into    common    property,    and    the 
change  of  private  production  into  socialistic." 

The  Programme  further  states: 

"Religion  is  to  be  declared  a  private  concern;  the 
use  of  public  ftmds  for  ecclesiastical  and  religious 
purposes  to  be  abolished.  Ecclesiastical  and  religious 
commtmities  are  to  be  regarded  as  private  societies 
which  are  perfectly  free  to  manage  their  own  affairs. " 

If  all  property  is  owned  by  the  social  body  and 
religion  is  a  "private  concern"  and  "the  use  of 
public  fimds  for  ecclesiastical  and  reUgious  pur- 
poses (is)  to  be  aboHshed, "  then  all  churches, 
religious  meeting  places,  theological  seminaries, 
and  religious  schools  must  consequently  be  abol- 
ished and  reHgion  be  a  personal  "private  concern" 
between  the  individual  and  any  higher  power  in 
whom  he  may  believe. 

August  Bebel  wrote  in  the 'Vorwarts  in  1901; 

"We  must  wage  an  unrelenting  war  against  the 
Church,  because  she  foments  civil  war  among  the 
workers.  We  must  take  away  from  her  her  control 
over  public  education,  which  she  uses  to  corrupt 
children,  who  would  otherwise  become  Socialists. 
We  must  fight  her  without  weakness,  for  she  is  the 
only  power  which  has  dogmas,  hierarchies,  riches, 
and  agents  who  systematically  attack  us.  We  must 
attack  her  because  her  economies,  her  politics,  her 
ethics  are  contrary  to  our  ideal." 

E.  Vandervelde  asks:   "Can  a  sincere  believer 


112         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

follow  the  Church  and  yet  be  a  Socialist?  .  .  .  We 
are  bound  to  admit  that  both  in  philosophy  and  in 
politics  there  must  be  war  between  Socialism  and 
the  Church."^ 

E.  Untermann  declares: 

"It  is  only  the  class-conscious  proletariat  which 
knows  its  enemies  in  church  and  state,  which  combats 
them  uncompromisingly,  and  which  will  finally  over- 
come them.  .  .  .  And  when  the  day  of  judgment  ar- 
rives, as  it  surely  will,  the  church  of  the  ruling  classes 
will  fall  with  the  systems  which  they  supported,  and 
the  ancient  and  medieval  revolutionaries  will  beckon 
to  us  out  of  the  past  and  say:  'It  is  well.'  "" 

Was  Christ  a  Socialist?  The  answer  to  this 
question  is  summed  up  in  the  words  of  August 
Bebel,  the  present  leader  of  International  Social 
Democracy:  "Christianity  and  Socialism  stand 
toward  each  other  ^s  fire  and  water.  "^ 

^  Quoted  by  Goldstein,  Socialism,  pp.  133,  135. 

'  The  World's  Revolutions,  p.  103. 

3  Quoted  from  Socialism  and  Christianity,  by  Wm.  Stang,  p.  20. 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD 


"3 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD 

THE  term  "Kingdom  of  God"  was  peculiar  to 
the  religious  belief  of  the  Hebrew  people. 
Its  original  import  was  clear  and  definite,  but  its 
significance  was  altered  from  time  to  time,  thus 
vividly  reflecting  the  intellectual  development  of 
the  race,  their  enlarging  conception  of  Jehovah, 
and  their  changing  attitude  toward  life. 

The  initial  conception  of  the  Hebrew  people  as 
to  the  "Kingdom  of  God"  was  that  Israel  com- 
posed such  Eongdom,  that  Jehovah,  though  in- 
visible to  htmian  sight,  was  the  real  King;  that 
the  "Kingdom"  was  restricted  to  the  Hebrew 
people,  and  that  Jehovah  ruled  over  them  as  an 
absolute  monarch  over  his  subjects.  Their  judges 
or  kings  were  considered  as  representatives  of 
Jehovah;  their  prophets,  as  mouthpieces  or  spokes- 
men of  Jehovah;  and  their  whole  system  of  laws 
and  institutions,  as  the  direct  expression  of  the 
will  of  Jehovah. 

Their  second  conception  of  the  "Kingdom" 
developed  when  afflictions  and  tribulations  were 
visited  upon  them,  their  prophets  having  declared 
that  these  troubles  were  imposed  by  Jehovah  be- 
cause they  had  fallen  away  from  righteous  living. 
The  "Kingdom"  then  became  limited  to  include 

115 


ii6         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

only  those  members  of  the  Hebrew  race  who  led 
righteous  lives  and  who  adhered  closely  to  the 
prescriptions  of  Hebrew  law  and  tradition. 

Their  third  conception  of  the  "Kingdom"  arose 
out  of  the  dire  oppression  to  which  the  nation  had 
been  subjected  in  the  latter  part  of  its  existence 
under  the  Syrian  and  Roman  dominations.  This 
later  view  was  that  the  "Kingdom"  had  not  as 
yet  been  estabhshed,  but  that  it  would  be  ushered 
in  on  earth  in  the  near  future,  when  the  foreign 
yoke  would  be  broken,  when  there  would  be 
national  emancipation  from  foreign  powers,  and 
when  there  would  be  set  up  a  new  and  divine 
Israelitish  state,  a  world  empire,  with  Palestine 
the  seat  of  the  capital,  of  which  the  expected 
Messiah  would  be  the  supreme  ruler;  all  Hebrews, 
the  members;  all  governments,  tributary;  and  all 
people,  subjects. 

A  fourth  conception  of  the  "Kingdom"  de- 
veloped in  the  thoughts  of  a  few  of  the  spiritually 
minded  of  the  Hebrew  people,  it  being  an  apo- 
cal3^tic  view, — that  after  death  the  righteous 
Hebrews  would  enter  an  abode  beyond  the  stars, 
there  to  Hve  for  ever  with  Jehovah  in  His  everlasting 
Kingdom. 

At  the  time  of  the  coming  of  Christ,  the  third  and 
fourth  conceptions  of  the  "Kingdom"  were  the 
ones  most  commonly  held  by  the  Hebrew  people. 
The  more  worldly,  those  who  constituted  the 
great  majority  of  the  race,  held  to  the  third  view, 


The  Kingdom  of  God  117 

while  the  few  esthetics  believed  in  the  fourth,  or 
other  worldly  idea. 

At  that  time  the  most  characteristic  trait  in  the 
life  and  thought  of  the  Hebrew  people  was  their 
intense  and  enthusiastic  belief  in  the  coming  of  a 
golden  age,  a  glorious  period  of  power,  prosperity 
and  happiness.  They  confidently  expected  that 
the  "Kingdom  of  God "  would  soon  be  estabHshed ; 
that  it  would  be  ushered  in  by  a  starthng  catas- 
trophe, such  as  the  blaze  of  a  meteor,  ^  as  a  signal 
intervention  of  God  in  human  history;  that  the 
Messiah  clothed  in  earthly  splendor  and  manifested 
in  the  pomp  of  victory,  would  suddenly  appear, 
beat  down  His  enemies  and  estabHsh  His  throne 
in  power  and  grandeur. 

John  the  Baptist,  a  latter  day  Elijah,  the  fore- 
runner of  Christ,  vigorously  protested  against 
the  materiaHsm  of  the  prevaiUng  ideas  concerning 
the  nature  of  the  "Kingdom,"  and  preached 
repentance  as  a  preparation  for  the  coming  of  the 
"Kingdom"  which  he  announced  was  close  at 
hand.  He  declared  that  only  the  righteous  were 
to  become  members  of  the  "Kingdom,"  and  that 
the  unrighteous  Hebrew  could  no  more  become  a 
member  of  the  "Kingdom  of  God"  than  could  a 
non-member  of  the  Hebrew  race. 

The  clarion  tones  of  this  remarkable  preacher 
thrilled  the  subjected  nation  and  aroused  the  pat- 
riotism which  slumbered  in  the  hearts  of  the  people. 

'Luke  xvii,,  20,  21 


ii8         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

His  words  of  cheer  and  of  hope  recalled  to  the  minds 
of  the  Hebrew  people  the  visions  of  their  prophets, 
and  while  their  imaginations  were  quickened,  their 
longings  intensified  and  their  ambitions  stimu- 
lated, Jesus  Christ  appeared  with  the  long-looked- 
for  message :  "The  time  is  fulfilled ;  the  Kingdom 
of  God  is  now  close  at  hand ;  repent  and  believe  in 
the  good  news."* 

The  "Kingdom  of  God"  was  the  central  thought 
of  all  Christ's  teachings,  the  predominating  theme 
of  His  Gospel.  "And  Jesus  went  about  all  Galilee, 
teaching  in  their  synagogues  and  preaching  the 
gospel  of  the  Kingdom."*  The  subject  of  His 
teaching  to  His  disciples  was  "the  mysteries  of 
the  Kingdom, "5  and  they  were  "instructed  unto 
the  Kingdom.""  His  commission  to  the  twelve 
apostles  was,  "As  ye  go,  preach,  saying  the  King- 
dom of  Heaven  is  at  hand."^  The  seventy  whom 
He  sent  out  were  to  declare,  "The  Kingdom  of 
God  is  come  nigh  unto  you."** 

During  the  interval  between  His  resurrection 
and  ascension,  He  was  still  "speaking  of  the  things 
pertaining  to  the  Kingdom  of  God."'  The  mes- 
sage which  His  followers  were  to  carry  to  all 
people  was:  "And  this  gospel  of  the  Kingdom 
shall  be  preached  in  all  the  world.  "^ 

The  terms  "Kingdom  of  God"  and  "Kingdom 

»  Mark  i.,  15.  '  Matt,  iv.,  23.  »  Matt,  xiii.,  u. 

<  Matt,  xiii.,  52.  s  Matt,  x.,  7  *  Luke  x.,  i-il. 

7  Acts  i.,  3.  *Matt.  xxiv.,  14. 


The  Kingdom  of  God  119 

of  Heaven,"  as  used  by  Christ,  mean  practically 
one  and  the  same  thing. 

Christ  took  the  hope  as  He  foimd  it.  He  did 
not  need  to  define  the  term  "Kingdom  of  God" 
as  it  was  universally  known  among  the  Hebrew 
people;  but  He  gave  to  it  a  new  meaning. 

He  first  urged  the  supreme  claim  of  the  "King- 
dom" over  all  other  temporal  claims,  and  held 
forth  the  glorious  promise  to  those  who  should 
accept  His  teaching:  "But  seek  ye  first  the 
Kingdom  of  God,  and  His  righteousness,  and  all 
these  things  shall  be  added  unto  you."' 

In  Christ's  teaching,  the  "Kingdom  of  God" 
had  a  threefold  reference: 

1.  An  immanent,  spiritual  presence  in  the 
human  heart. 

When  men  wanted  to  see  a  material  Kingdom  of 
God,  to  locate  it,  and  to  point  it  out  as  something 
definite  before  the  eyes  of  all,  Christ  declared: 
"The  Kingdom  of  God  cometh  not  with  observa- 
tion: neither  shall  they  say,  Lo,  here!  or,  there! 
for  lo,  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  within  you."* 
And  again  "The  Kingdom  of  God  is  come  upon 
you.  "3 

2.  A  present  state. 

When  the  Pharisees  asked  Christ  when  the 
"Kingdom"  would  come  He  replied:  "Lo,  the 
Kingdom  is  in  the  midst  of  you.  "^    On  another 

\*  Matt,  vi.,  33;  Luke  xii.,  31.  '  Luke  xvii.,  20,  21. 

»  Matt,  xii.,  28.  *  Lukexvii.,  21. 


120         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

occasion,  He  declared:  "There  be  some  here  of 
them  that  stand  by,  which  shall  in  no  wise  taste 
death,  till  they  see  the  Kingdom  of  God  come  with 
power."*  At  another  time,  He  said:  "If  I  by 
the  finger  of  God  cast  out  evil  spirits,  then  has  the 
Kingdom  of  God  come  upon  you."' 

The  theme  of  daily  prayer  which  Christ  urged 
on  His  followers  was:  "Thy  Kingdom  come, 
Thy  will  be  done,  on  earth  as  it  is  in  Heaven.  "^ 

3.    A  future  state, 

"My  Kingdom  is  not  of  this  world, "^  Christ 
specifically  stated. 

"Then  shall  appear  the  sign  of  the  Son  of  man  in 
heaven:  and  then  shall  all  the  tribes  of  the  earth 
.  .  .  see  the  son  of  man  coming  on  the  clouds  of 
heaven  with  power  and  great  glory.  "^ 

"Verily,  I  say  imto  you  I  will  drink  no  more  of 
the  fruit  of  the  vine,  imtil  that  day  that  I  drink  it 
new  in  the  Kingdom  of  God."^ 

"And  I  say  unto  you,  that  many  shall  come  from 
the  East  and  West  and  shall  sit  down  with  Abraham, 
and  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  in  the  Kingdom  of  heaven. "' 

What  Christ  meant  by  these  three  seemingly 
inconsistent  and  antagonistic  definitions  of  the 
"Kingdom  of  God,"  will  be  more  apparent  when 
the  fundamental  principles  of  the  "Kingdom," 
as  stated  by  Christ,  are  reviewed. 

*  Mark  ix.,  i ;  Luke  ix.,  27.         '  Luke  xi.,  20  Matt,  xii.,  28. 
»  Matt,  vi.,  10.  *■  John  xviii.,  36.  «  Matt,  xxiv.,  30. 

*Mark  xiv.,  25;  Luke  xxii.,  18.         »Matt.  viii.,  11. 


The  Kingdom  of  God  121 

The  four  comer-stones  of  the  "Kingdom"  are 
as  follows: 

1.  The  Fatherhood  of  God. 

Christ  taught  His  disciples,  "After  this  manner 
therefore  pray  ye:  Our  Father  which  art  in 
heaven. "  ^  He  declared  imto  them :  ' '  And  when 
ye  stand  praying,  forgive,  if  ye  have  aught  against 
any ;  that  your  Father  also  which  is  in  heaven  may 
forgive  you  your  trespasses."'  Again  He  said: 
"If  ye  then,  being  evil  know  how  to  give  good 
gifts  imto  your  children:  how  much  more  shall 
your  heavenly  Father  give  the  Holy  Spirit  to 
them  that  ask  him?"^  "Jesus  saith  imto  her, 
...  go  to  my  brethren,  and  say  unto  them,  I 
ascend  unto  my  Father,  and  your  Father,  and  to 
my  God,  and  your  God."^ 

As  God  is  the  Father  of  all,  the  attitude  of  the 
child  toward  his  Father  should  be  that  of  com- 
plete love;  as  Christ  declared:  "Thou  shalt  love 
the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all 
thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  mind,  and  with  all  thy 
strength:  this  is  the  first  commandment."* 

2.  The  Brotherhood  of  Man. 

God  being  the  Father  of  all  mankind,  His 
children  therefore  are  brothers.  As  to  the  duty 
entailed  on  such  relationship,  Christ  said:  "A 
new  commandment  give  I  unto  you,  that  ye  love 
one  another  as  I  have  loved  you."**    Again,  He 

»  Luke  xi.,  2.  »  Mark  xi.,  25.  »  Luke  xi.,  13. 

*  John  XX.,  17.  » Mark  xii.,  30.  *  John  xiii.,  34- 


122  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

commanded:  "Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as 
thyself."^ 

3.  Childlikeness  of  Spirit. 

Christ  asserted  that  the  humbleness  of  spirit, 
the  sincerity  of  motive,  the  gentleness  of  character, 
and  the  recognition  of  no  difference  of  race,  or 
colour,  or  creed,  and  of  no  social  distinctions,  which 
are  the  qualities  of  childhood,  are  essential  qual- 
ifications of  a  citizen  of  the  "Kingdom." 

"And  Jesus  called  a  little  child  unto  Him,  and 

set  him  in  the  midst  of  them,  and  said.  Verily  I  say 

unto  you,  except  ye  be  converted,  and  become  as 

little  children,  ye  shall  not  enter  into  the  Kingdom 

of  Heaven."^     On  another  occasion,  Christ  said: 

"Suffer  Httle  children    to    come   unto    me,    and 

forbid    them  not:  for  of  such  is  the  Kingdom  of 
God.  "3 

Once  when  the  disciples  were  quarrelling  over 
the  question  of  precedence,  Christ  took  a  little 
child,  placed  him  in  the  midst  of  them,  and  said: 
"This  is  the  greatest:  whoever  shall  himible  him- 
self as  this  little  child,  he  is  the  greatest  in  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven.  "^ 

4.  Serviceableness. 

Christ  said:  "Not  every  one  that  saith  unto 
me,  Lord,  Lord,  shall  enter  into  the  Kingdom  of 
Heaven :  but  he  that  doeth  the  will  of  my  Father 

*  Markxii.,  31.  '  Matt,  xviii.,  2,  3. 

*  Mark  x.,  14,  15;  Luke  xviii.,  16,  17;  x.,  21;  Matt,  xi.,  25. 
<Matt.  xviii.,4;  Mark ix.,  33-36;  Lvikeix., 46-48. 


The  Kingdom  of  God  123 

which  is  in  Heaven."^  "Whosoever  will  be  great 
among  you,  let  him  be  your  minister;  and  who- 
soever will  be  chief  among  you,  let  him  be  your 
servant:  even  as  the  Son  of  man  came  not  to  be 
ministered  unto,  but  to  minister,  and  to  give  his 
life  a  ransom  for  many."' 

As  the  law  of  service  was  binding  on  the  Master, 
it  is  equally  binding  on  the  disciple. 

Christ  declared  that  the  "  Eingdom  "  was  not  the 
peculiar  property  of  Israel,  but  that  it  was  a  world- 
wide Kingdom,  open  to  all  mankind,  without 
regard  to  sex,  age,  station,  or  race. 

No  man  belongs  to  the  "Kingdom"  solely 
because  he  is  a  Jew,  or  is  excluded  from  it  simply 
because  he  is  a  Gentile. 

"Therefore,  I  say  unto  you,  the  Kingdom  of 
God  shall  be  taken  from  you,  and  given  to  a 
nation  bringing  forth  the  fruits  thereof.  "^ 

"The  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  like  imto  a  net,  that 
was  cast  unto  the  sea,  and  gathered  of  every 
kind.  "4 

"And  I  say  imto  you,  that  many  shall  come  from 
the  East  and  the  West,  and  shall  sit  down  with 
Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  in  the  Kingdom 
of  Heaven.  "5 

"And  he  said  imto  them.  Go  ye  into  all  the 
world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature."* 

»  Matt,  vii.,  21.  '  Matt,  xx.,  26-28;  Mark  x.,  42-44. 

3  Matt,  xxi.,  43.  *  Matt,  xiii.,  47.        « Matt,  viii.,  IZ. 

*  Mark  xvi.,  15. 


124         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Admission  to  the  "Kingdom." — Christ  de- 
clared that  God  is  the  Father  of  all  mankind. 
If  men  and  women  are  God's  children,  at  birth, 
they  become  citizens  of  His  "Kingdom,"  in  some- 
what the  same  way  as  a  child  bom  in  the  United 
States  becomes,  by  virtue  of  his  birth,  a  citizen  of 
this  Republic. 

It  is  true,  that  an  infant  has  no  comprehension 
of  his  birthright,  and  that  his  development  into  a 
worthy  citizen  is  dependent  largely  upon  his  early 
training;  yet,  his  birthright  cannot  be  taken  from 
him  or  his  citizenship  be  lost,  save  through  his  own 
voluntary  act,  when  he  reaches  an  age  believed 
to  be  synonymous  with  discretion. 

Citizenship,  whether  of  an  earthly  state  or  of 
the  "Kingdom  of  God,"  is  of  but  little  value  to 
the  citizen  who  neglects  to  exercise  the  privileges 
and  to  perform  the  duties  attendant  thereon. 

A  man  bom  in  the  United  States  and  thereby 
an  heir  to  the  rich  heritage  of  American  citizen- 
ship, who  fails  to  exercise  the  privileges  and  to 
perform  the  duties  of  a  citizen,  will  still  reap  certain 
benefits  due  to  his  birth  on  American  soil,  but  he 
will  gain  none  of  the  blessings  which  come  to  those 
who  live  as  true  and  loyal  citizens.  Until  he 
formally  declares  his  citizenship,  publicly  exer- 
cises the  privileges,  and  faithfully  performs  the 
duties  of  a  citizen,  he  is,  in  reality,  but  a  citizen 
in  name.  The  birthright  of  American  citizenship 
is  the  privilege  accorded  to  an  individual  of  grow- 


The  Kingdom  of  God  125 

ing  into  a  strong,  well-rounded  man  and  an 
honoured,  useful  citizen. 

In  an  analogous  manner,  a  citizen  of  the  "King- 
dom of  God"  who  fails  to  keep  close  to  Christ  and 
neglects  his  duties  as  a  citizen  is  only  a  Uttle  better 
off  than  he  who  has  renounced  his  citizenship 
and  transferred  his  allegiance  to  some  other 
sovereign. 

A  citizen  of  the  United  States  may  voltmtarily 
give  up  his  citizenship  and  become  a  subject  of 
some  other  nation.  So,  also,  a  citizen  of  the 
"Kingdom  of  God"  is  free  to  give  up  his  birth- 
right and  to  become  a  subject  of  the  money-god, 
the  god  of  power,  the  god  of  pleasure,  or  the  many- 
headed  god  of  sin. 

As  the  United  States  Government  permits  a 
former  citizen  who  has  transferred  his  allegiance 
to  some  other  nation  to  again  become  one  of  its 
citizens,  so  also  does  the  Almighty  allow  a  citizen 
of  the  "Kingdom,"  who  has  forsaken  his  God 
and  given  his  allegiance  to  some  other  master,  to 
become  reinstated  as  a  citizen  of  the  "Kingdom" 
he  had  renounced. 

It  matters  not  how  far  away  from  the  life  of  the 
"Kingdom"  one  may  have  wandered,  or  to  what 
power  he  may  have  transferred  his  allegiance, 
or  how  low  he  may  have  sunk  in  degradation,  even 
though  he  may  have  come  to  live  and  to  eat  with 
swine,  he  is  still  eligible  to  reinstatement  as  a 
citizen  of  the  "Kingdom." 


126  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

The  parable  of  the  Prodigal  Son^  illustrates 
this  truth  and  indicates  the  way  by  which  a 
man  may  become  reinstated  as  a  citizen  of  the 
"Kingdom." 

The  Prodigal  Son  took  his  patrimony  and  went 
away  from  his  father's  house  and  journeyed  into 
a  far  country  and  spent  his  substance  in  riotous 
living,  but  even  though  he  had  abused  his  birth- 
right and  forsaken  his  father,  he  did  not  forfeit 
his  privilege  of  resuming  his  former  place  in  his 
father's  love  and  in  his  father's  household. 

The  steps  to  be  taken  in  order  to  again  secure 
the  forfeited  citizenship  in  the  "Kingdom"  are 
as  follows : 

1 .  "He  came  to  himself. * ' ' 

One  must  fully  realise  the  life  he  is  leading  and 
the  life  he  might  lead  as  a  loyal  citizen  of  the 
"Kingdom."  Having  come  to  realise  the  differ- 
ence in  the  kind  and  quality  of  the  two  kinds  of 
life,  one  must  then  have  a  sincere,  intense,  and 
burning  desire  to  adopt  the  new  life. 

2.  "I  will  arise  and  go  to  my  father."' 

One  must  be  willing  to  break  away  from  and  turn 
his  back  on  the  things  which  are  occupying  his 
present  life. 

3.  "I  will  say  unto  him.  Father,  I  have  sinned 
against  heaven  and  before  thee,  and  am  no  more 
worthy  to  be  called  thy  son.  "^ 

«  Luke  XV.,  11-32.  'Ibid.,  17.  i  Ibid.,  18. 

*  Ibid.,  18,  19. 


The  Kingdom  of  God  127 

Feeling  keenly  his  misuse  of  his  life,  his  lost 
opportunities,  his  neglected  use  of  physical,  mental, 
and  moral  powers,  and  repenting  sincerely  and 
wholeheartedly  for  the  past,  he  must  go  to  his 
God  and  in  humbleness  of  spirit  ask  for  forgiveness. 

4.  "Make  me  as  one  of  thy  hired  servants."' 
One  must  be  willing  to  obey  the  commands,  and 

to  work  as  a  servant  of  God. 

5.  "And  he  arose  and  came  to  his  father.  "^ 
Not  only  must  there  be  repentance  for  the  past 

sinful  life,  a  willingness  to  break  away  from  all 
the  associations  with  the  old  life,  and  a  determina- 
tion to  enter  upon  a  new  life,  and  to  assume  the 
duties  and  obHgations  attendant  on  citizenship  in 
the  "Kingdom,"  but  there  must  be  an  arising 
up  and  a  putting  into  action  of  the  wishes  and 
desires  of  the  heart  and  mind. 

6.  *  *  But  when  he  was  a  great  way  off,  his  father 
saw  him,  and  had  compassion,  and  ran,  and  fell 
on  his  neck,  and  kissed  him."^ 

A  welcome  to  the  full  privileges  of  citizenship 
in  the  "Kingdom"  awaits  those  who  truly  and 
sincerely  take  these  steps. 

Is  this  a  strange,  unnatural  procedure  to  be 
taken  in  order  to  recover  the  lost  citizenship  in 
the  "Kingdom  of  God"? 

Consider  the  steps  necessary  to  be  taken  by  a 
foreigner  in  order  to  become  a  citizen  of  the  United 
States. 

» Luke  XV.,  19.         '  Ibid.,  20.  'Ibid.,  20. 


128         Chirst's  Social  Remedies 

(1)  He  must  realise  the  kind  of  life  he  is 
leading  in  the  land  of  his  birth  and  the  kind  of 
life  Uved  in  the  United  States,  and  he  must  have  a 
desire  to  become  a  United  States  citizen. 

(2)  He  must  be  willing  to  break  away  from 
his  old  life,  its  associations,  and  its  companionships. 

(3)  He  must  show  his  preference  for  citizen- 
ship of  the  United  States  by  asking  the  government 
to  overlook  his  former  allegiance  and  to  accept 
his  new  allegiance. 

(4)  He  must  be  willing  to  obey  the  laws  and 
to  live  according  to  the  statutes  of  the  United 
States. 

(5)  Not  only  must  he  be  willing  and  anxious 
to  change  his  citizenship  but  he  must  leave  his 
own  country  and  cross  to  the  United  States,  and 
after  making  a  preliminary  declaration  of  intention 
to  become  a  citizen  of  the  United  States  and  wait- 
ing a  definite  time  on  probation,  he  must  take 
the  following  oath : 

"I  am  attached  to  the  principles  of  the  Constitution 
of  the  United  States,  and  it  is  my  intention  to  become 
a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  and  to  renounce  abso- 
lutely and  for  ever  all  allegiance  and  fidelity  to  any 
foreign  prince,  potentate,  state,  or  sovereignty,  and 

particularly  to of  which  at  this  time  I  am  a 

subject,  and  it  is  my  intention  to  permanently  reside 
in  the  United  States." 

(6)  Upon  his  compliance  with  these  acts  and 


The  Kingdom  of  God  129 

taking  the  above  oath,  the  United  States  will 
accept  and  welcome  him  as  a  citizen. 

By  combining  the  teachings  of  Christ,  the  nature 
of  the  "Kjbigdom"  will  be  evident. 

Love  for  God  and  love  for  man,  expressed  by 
obedience  to  the  commands  of  the  Almighty  and 
by  service  to  one's  neighbour,  are  the  duties  resting 
upon  the  citizen  of  the  "Kingdom  of  God. "  This 
twofold  love  opens  the  heart  to  the  heavenly 
influences  and  estabUshes  a  direct  channel  of 
communication  between  the  Father  in  heaven  and 
His  child  on  earth.  When  one  renoimces  alle- 
giance to  all  the  things  of  earth  and  the  gods  of 
this  world  and  consecrates  his  life  to  the  service 
of  God  and  man,  he  performs  his  duty  as  a  citizen 
of  the  "Kingdom  of  God,"  and  the  life  of  that 
"Kingdom"  enters  into  his  heart  and  he  lives  as 
a  worthy  citizen  of  the  "Kingdom"  here  on 
earth.  When  death  comes  and  the  deserted  physi- 
cal temple  is  laid  away  in  the  earth,  the  soul  arises 
and  enters  into  that  abode  where  the  Kling  of 
Kings  and  Lord  of  Lords  reigns  and  where  citizen- 
ship is  continued  in  another  sphere. 

To  become  a  citizen  of  the  "Kingdom"  in  the 
sphere  where  God  and  His  angels  dwell,  it  is 
essential  that  one  should  live  as  a  true  and  faithful 
citizen  of  that  "Kingdom"  while  here  on  earth; 
for  death  is  but  the  vehicle  which  transports  the 
loyal  citizens  of  the  "Kingdom"  from  this  earthly 
abode  to  the  home  of  the  Most  High. 


130         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Citizenship  is  a  matter  of  growth.  A  foreigner, 
on  coming  to  the  United  States  and  becoming  a 
citizen  thereof,  cannot  be  expected  to  love  his 
adopted  country  with  that  intense  love,  or  to  obey 
its  laws  with  that  supreme  devotion,  which 
characterise  a  man  who  for  many  years  has  en- 
deavoured to  live  the  life  of  a  strong,  valuable 
American  citizen.  It  requires  time  for  love  to 
grow,  for  patriotism  to  develop,  for  a  knowledge 
of  the  life,  customs,  and  laws  of  the  country  to 
be  obtained;  so  that  it  is  only  by  painstaking 
study  and  wholehearted  service  to  one's  country 
that  the  highest  quality  of  citizenship  can  be 
obtained. 

This  is  likewise  true  with  regard  to  citizenship 
in  the  "Kingdom  of  God."  The  newly  enrolled 
citizen  is  not  expected  at  once  to  live  the  perfect 
life  of  a  citizen  of  the  "Kingdom." 

Christ  said  that  the  law  of  the  growth  of  a  citizen 
of  the  "Kingdom"  is  a  parallel  to  the  law  of 
growth  in  the  vegetable  world:  "First  the  blade, 
then  the  ear,  and  after  that,  the  full  corn  in  the 
ear."*  Worthy  citizenship  is  the  outcome  of  an 
evolutionary  development,  through  slow,  regular 
growth,  man  ever  reaching  upward  for  the  sunshine 
and  nourishment  of  heaven,  and  God  ever  giving 
to  man  what  he  asks  of  Him. 

The  test  of  citizenship  in  the  "Kingdom"  is 
love — love   expressed   through   service   to   man. 

*  Mark  iv.,  28. 


The  Kingdom  of  God  131 

This  is  evidenced  by  Christ's  picture  of  the  Last 
Judgment: 

"And  before  Him  shall  be  gathered  all  nations:  and 
He  shall  separate  them  from  one  another,  as  a  shepherd 
divideth  his  sheep  from  the  goats: 

"And  He  shall  set  the  sheep  on  His  right  hand,  but 
the  goats  on  the  left. 

"Then  shall  the  King  say  unto  them  on  His  right 
hand,  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the 
kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the  foundation  of 
the  world: 

"For  I  was  an  himgered,  and  ye  gave  me  meat:  I 
was  thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  drink:  I  was  a  stranger 
and  ye  took  me  in: 

"Naked  and  ye  clothed  me:  I  was  sick  and  ye 
visited  me :  I  was  in  prison,  and  ye  came  unto  me. 

"Then  shall  the  righteous  answer  him,  saying.  Lord, 
when  saw  we  thee  an  hungered,  and  fed  thee?  or 
thirsty,  and  gave  thee  drink? 

"When  saw  we  thee  a  stranger,  and  took  thee  in? 
or  naked,  and  clothed  thee? 

"Or  when  saw  we  thee  sick,  or  in  prison,  and  came 
imto  thee? 

"And  the  King  shall  answer  and  say  unto  them, 
Verily  I  say  unto  thee.  Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it 
unto  one  of  the  least  of  these  my  brethren,  ye  have 
done  it  unto  me. 

"Then  shall  he  say  also  unto  them  on  the  left  hand, 
Depart  from  me,  ye  cursed,  into  everlasting  fire, 
prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels: 

"For  I  was  an  hungered,  and  ye  gave  me  no  meat: 
I  was  thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  no  drink: 


132         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

"  I  was  a  stranger,  and  ye  took  me  not  in ;  naked,  and 
ye  clothed  me  not;  sick,  and  in  prison,  and  ye  visited 
me  not. 

"Then  shall  they  also  answer  him  saying,  Lord, 
when  saw  we  thee  an  hungered,  or  athirst,  or  a  stranger, 
or  naked,  or  sick,  or  in  prison,  and  did  not  minister 
unto  thee? 

"Then  shall  He  answer  them  sa3dng.  Verily  I  say 
unto  you.  Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  not  to  one  of  the  least 
of  these,  ye  did  it  not  to  me. 

"And  these  shall  go  away  into  everlasting  punish- 
ment :  but  the  righteous  unto  life  eternal. "  ^ 

Service  to  God  does  not  consist  in  separating 
oneself  from  one's  fellows  and  living  apart  from 
the  world,  and  spending  one's  time  in  the  study 
of  the  Bible  and  in  prayer  to  God ;  service  to  God 
is  expressed  only  in  service  to  man. 

Love  which  is  not  expressed  in  service  is  not 
true  love,  but  merely  a  sickly,  sentimental  emo- 
tionalism. Christ  loved  Lazarus,  and  when  He 
learned  that  Lazarus  was  dead.  He  shed  tears  of 
pity,  left  His  daily  work,  journeyed  a  long  distance 
to  the  home  of  the  deceased,  and  used  His  power 
to  put  life  into  the  dead  body.^ 

Love  to  God  and  love  to  man  should  be  shown 
by  pitying  and  helping  those  in  distress,  and  by 
using  one's  powers,  abilities,  and  means  to  remove 
those  things  which  hamper,  limit,  crush,  or  destroy 

'  Matt,  XXV.,  32-46.  '  John  xi.,  1-44. 


The  Kingdom  of  God  133 

human  life,  and  to  enlarge  the  "Kingdom  of  God" 
by  recruiting  citizens  and  by  helping  them  to  live 
the  fullest  and  most  perfect  life. 

Citizenship  in  the  "Kingdom"  should  be  made 
evident  by  one's  endeavour  to  spiritualise  all  the 
activities  of  life  and  to  reconstruct  society  on  the 
basis  of  love. 

"And  Jesus  went  about  all  the  cities  and 
villages,  teaching  in  their  synagogues,  and  preach- 
ing the  gospel  of  the  Kingdom,  and  healing 
every  sickness  and  every  disease  among  the 
people."^ 

To  work  for  the  Christianisation  of  society, 
by  causing  the  social  sentiments,  customs,  laws, 
institutions,  and  governments  to  be  permeated 
and  overruled  by  the  teachings  of  Christ,  is  the 
duty  of  the  citizen  of  the  "Kingdom." 

It  is  not  enough  for  a  Christian  to  try  to  convert 
and  Christianise  the  individual  in  the  hope  that 
eventually  the  perfect  individual  will  create  a 
perfect  society;  he  must  also  seek  to  remove  all  the 
hindrances  and  stumbling-blocks  which  impede 
the  upward  climb  of  the  individual  along  the  politi- 
cal, industrial,  and  social  slopes  of  life.  His  aim 
should  be  to  Christianise  business,  politics,  educa- 
tion, literature,  art,  and  recreation,  so  that  whether 
men  eat  or  drink  or  whatever  they  do,  they  will 
do  all  to  the  glory  of  God. 

'  Matt,  ix.,  35. 


134         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Dr.  Washington  Gladden  has  clearly  stated  this 
truth  in  these  words: 

"The  end  of  Christianity  is  two  fold,  a  perfect 
man  in  a  perfect  society.  These  purposes  are  never 
separated,  they  cannot  be  separated.  No  man  can 
be  redeemed  and  saved  alone;  no  community  can  be 
reformed  and  elevated  save  as  the  individuals  of 
which  it  is  composed  are  regenerated.  .  .  .  Christ- 
ianity would  create  a  perfect  society,  and  to  this  end 
it  must  produce  perfect  men;  it  would  bring  forth 
perfect  men,  and  to  this  end  it  must  construct  a 
perfect  society."^ 

Though  the  growth  of  the  "Kingdom"  on  earth 
may  be  slow  and  almost  imperceptible  through 
the  quiet  growth  of  universal  love,  Christ  urged 
His  followers  not  to  be  discouraged  thereby. 

"And  he  said,  whereunto  shall  we  liken  the  King- 
dom of  God?  or  with  what  comparison  shall  we 
compare  it?  It  is  like  a  grain  of  mustard  seed,  which 
when  it  is  sown  in  the  earth,  is  less  than  all  the  seeds 
that  be  in  the  earth :  but  when  it  is  sown,  it  groweth 
up,  and  becometh  greater  than  all  herbs,  and  shooteth 
out  great  branches ;  so  that  the  fowls  of  the  air  may 
lodge  under  the  shadow  of  it."' 

At  another  time  He  said:  "The  Kingdom  of 
Heaven"  is  like  imto  leaven,  which  a  woman  took, 

»  Tools  and  the  Man,  pp.  i,  2. 
■Mark  iv.,  30-32;  Matt,  xiii.,  31,  32. 


The  Kingdom  of  God  135 

and  hid  in  three  measiires  of  meal,  till  the  whole 
was  leavened."* 

As  the  seed  grows  and  the  leaven  exerts  its 
power  silently  but  persistently  by  the  help  and 
guidance  of  God,  so  the  "Kingdom"  in  like  manner 
grows ;  and  as  sure  as  the  seed  will  grow  into  a  wide- 
spreading  tree  and  the  leaven  will  permeate  and 
change  the  whole  meal,  so  sure  may  the  citizens  of 
the  "Kingdom"  be  that  in  the  fulness  of  time 
His  "Kingdom"  will  come  and  His  will  "will  be 
done  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven. " 

'Matt,  xiii.,  33. 


NON-RESISTANCE 


137 


NON-RESISTANCE 

THE  Angels'  song  which  greeted  the  shepherds 
on  the  hills  of  Judea,  proclaimed  the  mission 
of  Christ  on  earth :  "Glory  to  God  in  the  highest, 
and  on  earth  peace,  good  will  towards  men."^ 

The  fundamental  principle  of  Christ's  life,  the 
basis   of    His    Gospel,    was    love — wholehearted 
love  for  God,  and  wholehearted  love  for  man. 
A  prominent  charity  worker  recently  remarked : 

"  I  have  been  thinking  over  the  advice  given  to 
Abraham  Lincoln  by  his  mother,  'Love  everybody, 
hinder  nobody,  and  the  world  will  be  glad  some  day 
that  you  were  bom,'  and  have  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  she  was  right  in  advising  her  son  to  'hinder 
nobody,'  but  that  to  'love  everybody'  is  an  impossi- 
bility. We  all  have  enemies,  and  there  are  some  who 
say  untrue  and  unkind  things  about  us,  and  to  love 
those  who  do  us  injtury  is  contrary  to  human  nature. " 

Christ  was  persecuted  and  reviled.  He  was 
slandered  and  insulted.  He  was  scourged  and 
crucified,  yet,  to  the  end  of  His  earthly  pilgrimage. 
He  exemplified  in  His  life  a  pure  and  holy  love. 

His  advice  to  mankind  was: 

"But  I  say  unto  you,  that  ye  resist  not  evil;  but 

'  Luke  ii.,  14. 

139 


140         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

whosoever  shall  smite  thee  on  thy  right  cheek,  turn 
to  him  the  other  also. 

"And  if  any  man  shall  sue  thee  at  the  law  and  take 
away  thy  coat,  let  him  have  thy  cloak  also. 

"And  whosoever  shall  compel  thee  to  go  a  mile,  go 
with  him  twain.  "^ 

In  these  verses  Christ  enumerated  the  following 
wrongs  from  which  men  suffer:  physical  violence, 
injury  to  reputation,  legal  injustice,  and  govern- 
mental oppression. 

The  attempt  to  interpret  this  teaching  of  Christ 
literally  has  caused  much  mental  confusion  and 
has  evoked  keen  ridicule  with  the  result  that  this 
doctrine  of  non-resistance  has  been  laid  away  with 
many  other  Utopian  schemes  for  the  regulation  of 
life  as  unworkable  and  chimerical. 

While  the  "letter  killeth,"  the  "spirit  maketh 
alive";  and  on  penetrating  to  the  heart  of  this 
doctrine  there  will  be  revealed  this  vital  truth, 
that  "non-resistance  to  evil"  is  only  the  practical 
application  of  Christ's  teaching  of  love  to  the 
problems  of  daily  life. 

The  old  Mosaic  law  of  "an  eye  for  an  eye  and  a 
tooth  for  a  tooth"  is  a  congenial  rule  of  conduct 
for  most  men  of  the  twentieth  century.  But 
Christ  declared:  "Ye  have  found  that  it  was 
said :  '  An  eye  for  an  eye,  and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth  * ; 
but  I  say  unto  you,  Resist  not  evil."     "Resist 

« Matt,  v.,  39-41. 


Non-Resistance  141 

not  evil, "  is  the  new  commandment  which  repealed 
the  law  of  Moses,  and  which  became  one  of  the 
foundation  pillars  of  Christianity. 

Physical  Violence. — ^A  story  is  told  of  one  of 
Rev.  Dwight  L.  Moody's  converts  who  had  been 
appointed  to  keep  order  during  certain  revival 
meetings  in  Chicago.  One  evening,  a  half -tipsy 
man  by  continual  interruption  sought  to  break  up 
the  service.  The  converted  guard  at  first  gently 
remonstrated  with  him  and  for  his  words  of  peace 
was  struck  a  blow  on  the  cheek.  Instead  of 
retaliating,  the  convert,  having  heard  Mr.  Moody 
preach  on  the  subject  of  non-resistance,  at  once 
turned  his  other  cheek  toward  his  assailant.  The 
disturber  immediately  took  advantage  of  this 
opportunity  to  land  a  blow  on  the  other  cheek 
of  the  convert.  "Then,"  said  the  convert,  in 
relating  this  incident,  "as  I  had  lived  up  to 
Christ's  teaching, — that  if  we  are  struck  on  one 
cheek,  to  turn  the  other  also, — I  then  hauled  off 
and  knocked  the  man  down.  ** 

If  Christ  intended  this  injunction  to  be  taken 
literally,  why,  when  smitten  on  the  cheek  by  the 
high  priest,  did  He  not  turn  His  other  cheek  to  be 
smitten  also?  To  have  done  so  would  have  been 
not  a  display  of  love,  but  only  the  placing  before 
the  high  priest  of  a  temptation  to  again  do  a  wrong. 

Christ  taught  the  sacredness  of  human  life,  and 
that  to  preserve  life  is  a  duty  resting  on  every  indi- 
vidual.    To  protect  and  defend  life  is  right  and 


142         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

proper,  but  to  protect  and  defend  life  by  doing  in- 
jury to  another  is  specifically  condemned  by  Christ. 

If  there  is  a  duty  imposed  on  the  individual  to 
protect  his  life,  then  shall  one  meekly  submit  to 
injury?  When  on  several  occasions  the  people 
attempted  to  stone  or  otherwise  to  maltreat  Christ, 
He  went  away  and  departed  from  their  sight.  * 

Christ  was  no  coward.  He  had  a  work  to  do, 
and  He  resolutely  went  forward  in  the  face  of 
opposition  and  in  spite  of  his  foes  to  accomplish 
His  mission.  "Then  said  some  of  them  of  Jerusa- 
lem, Is  not  this  He,  whom  they  seek  to  kill?  But, 
lo.  He  speaketh  boldly."* 

In  sending  His  disciples  on  a  missionary  journey, 
He  warned  them  of  the  hostility  they  would  meet 
with,  and  gave  them  this  council:  "When  they 
persecute  you  in  this  city,  flee  into  the  next.  "^ 

Love  for  mankind  will  not  permit  the  doing  of 
injury  to  a  brother  even  for  the  protection  of  our 
own  life.  Apprehension  of  consequences  is  no 
excuse  for  disobedience  to  the  commands  of  Christ. 
Christ  declared  that  blessed  is  the  man  who  loses 
his  life  for  the  Redeemer's  sake. 

Mr.  Ernest  Crosby  has  told  the  following  inci- 
dent to  show  how  Count  Tolstoi  interpreted  in 
practice  Christ's  teaching  of  non-resistance: 

"I  spent  a  couple  of  days  at  his  (Tolstoi's)  country 

'  John  vili.,  59;  x.,  39. 
'  John  vii.,  25,  26. 
» Matt.  X.,  23. 


Non-Resistance  143 

house  in  1894.  There  was  a  very  interesting  Swiss 
governess  there,  and  she  told  me  this  story:  Just 
two  or  three  days  before  I  arrived  there  his  little 
daughter,  who  was  then  ten  years  old,  had  been  out 
playing  in  front  of  the  house  with  a  village  boy  from 
the  neighbouring  village ;  they  got  to  quarrelling  about 
something  or  other;  the  boy  had  taken  up  a  stick  and 
given  her  a  hard  hit  on  the  arm  with  it,  so  that  her 
arm  was  quite  black-and-blue.  The  little  girl  ran 
into  the  house,  crying.  Evidently  she  had  not  read 
any  of  her  father's  books,  because  she  rushed  up  to 
him  and  said,  *  Papa,  this  naughty  boy  has  hit  me  on 
the  arm.  Do  come  out  and  give  him  a  whipping!' 
The  governess  hearing  what  was  going  on  listened  to 
see  how  Tolstoi  woidd  take  this  very  natural  demand. 
He  took  the  little  girl  on  his  lap.  'Why,'  he  said,  'my 
dear,  what  good  would  it  do  if  I  went  out  and  whipped 
that  boy?  Your  arm  would  hurt  you  just  as  much.' 
'Yee,  yes,' — and  she,  as  a  little  girl  would,  went  on 
crying.  'He's  a  naughty  boy  and  you  ought  to 
whip  him.'  'Why,'  he  said,  'my  dear,  what  did  that 
boy  hit  you  for?  He  hit  you  because  he  was  angry 
at  you.  That  means  that  for  a  few  moments  there 
he  hated  you.  Now,  don't  you  think  that  we  ought 
to  try  to  make  him  stop  hating?  If  I  go  out  there 
and  give  him  a  whipping  he  '11  not  only  hate  you  but 
he  '11  hate  me  too  and  he  may  get  into  such  a  habit  of 
hating  that  he  may  go  on  hating  all  the  rest  of  his  life. 
Now  don't  you  think  it  will  be  a  very  much  better 
thing  if  we  can  do  something  which  will  make  him  love 
us  instead  of  hate  us?  Perhaps  it  will  change  that 
boy's  character  all  the  rest  of  his  life.'  By  that  time 
the  little  girl's  arm  did  not  hurt  very  much  and  she 


144         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

began  to  be  rather  amused;  she  wondered  what  her 
father  was  going  to  say;  she  was  very  fond  of  her 
father  and  wanted  to  please  him.  Well,  he  soothed 
her  a  little  longer.  He  said,  '  Now  I  '11  tell  you  what 
I  'd  do  if  I  were  you.  That  raspberry  jam  in  the 
pantry  there  which  we  had  for  tea  last  night,  if  I 
were  you  I  'd  go  and  get  a  saucer  and  spoon  and  some 
of  that  jam  and  take  it  out  to  the  small  boy.  I  'm 
inclined  to  think  he  '11  begin  to  love  us  then  and  I 
think  he  would  never  think  of  such  a  thing  as  hitting 
a  little  girl  again.*  Well,  the  little  girl  went.  She 
got  the  jam  in  a  saucer  and  spoon  and  she  took  it  out 
to  the  little  boy.  I  am  very  sorry  that  all  the  rest  I 
know  of  that  story  is  that  the  boy  ate  the  jam.  I 
have  never  heard  what  his  future  history  was. " 

In  commenting  on  this  story,  Mr.  Crosby  said: 

"It  seems  to  me  that  Tolstoi's  argument  there  is 
perfectly  sound.  It  is  likely  it  would  be  impossible 
to  turn  that  boy  into  a  good  boy ;  I  am  not  sure ;  but  I 
believe  Tolstoi's  way  of  going  at  him  was  the  only 
possible  way  of  really  making  a  good  boy  out  of  him. 
You  can  imagine  that  boy,  after  he  got  a  whipping, — 
probably  he  knew  he  deserved  it,  but  he  would  have 
gone  down  cursing  and  swearing  to  himself  at  the 
whole  Tolstoi  family.  I  believe  he  would  have  got 
more  or  less  of  a  habit  of  hating  people.  Then  if 
you  try  to  imagine  his  feelings,  on  the  other  hand, 
when  the  door  opened  and  this  little  girl  came  out  with 
the  raspberry  jam,  his  resistance  of  his  rising  feelings 
of  resentment,  then  when  you  think  what  a  rare 
feeling  perhaps  it  was  to  a  little  peasant  boy,  how 


Non-Resistance  145 

he  could  not  resist  the  temptation,  and  in  what  a 
shame-faced  way  he  must  have  come  forward  and 
gulped  it  down,  and  how  he  must  have  gone  to  his 
house  convinced  that  those  people  up  there  on  the  hill 
were  a  great  deal  better  than  he  was  and  if  he  was 
ever  going  to  be  a  good  man  he  must  behave  a  Uttle 
more  in  the  way  that  they  did,  it  seems  to  me  that 
Tolstoi  there  did  right.  "^ 

If  we  meet  with  physical  violence,  we  should  act 
as  did  Christ,  who,  while  nailed  to  the  cross  and 
suffering  from  the  tortures  which  had  been  in- 
flicted on  Him,  interceded  for  those  who  did  Him 
injury  by  praying,  "Father!  forgive  them;  for  they 
know  not  what  they  do."' 

Robert  Wright,  who  was  elected  governor  of 
Maryland  in  1806,  fought  three  duels,  though  hav- 
ing in  each  case  reluctantly  accepted  the  challenge, 
for  he  was  of  a  peaceable  disposition;  but  he  was 
unwilling  to  decHne  lest  he  should  be  branded  as  a 
coward.  After  the  third  duel,  a  gentleman  said  to 
him:  "You  must  be  a  very  brave  man  to  confront 
death  three  times."  "Not  so,"  replied  the  Gover- 
nor, "any  coward  can  fight  a  duel,  but  it  takes  a 
very  courageous  man  to  beg  another's  pardon." 

It  requires  greater  strength  of  character  for  a 
man  to  go  through  the  world  with  love  in  the  heart 
than  to  go  about  carrying  a  chip  on  the  shoulder. 

*  Address  before  The  Liberal  Club  of  Buffalo,  December  20th, 
1900. 

*Luke  xxiii.,  34. 


146         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Injury  to  Reputation. — Society  dictates  and 
most  men  practise  the  doctrine  that  it  is  right 
and  proper  to  use  force  to  avenge  an  insult  or  a 
slander,  when  it  is  directed  against  oneself. 

Love  will  not  permit  of  retaliation.  Though 
Peter  thrice  denied  his  Lord,  Christ  forgave  him. ' 
When  Judas  with  a  kiss  betrayed  his  Master  to 
the  chief  priests  and  soldiers,  Christ  called  him 
"Friend. "» 

At  His  trial  Christ  endured  insult  imcomplain- 
ingly  and  slander  without  retaliation.^ 

When  Saul  was  on  the  Damascus  road  breath- 
ing out  threatenings  and  slaughter  against  the 
disciples  of  the  Lord,  Christ  appeared  to  him,  and, 
instead  of  smiting  him  to  the  earth  for  his  slan- 
derous statements  and  bitter  insults,  in  language 
more  like  that  of  an  injured  friend  than  of  an 
offended  God,  said,  "Saul,  Saul,  why  persecutest 
thou  me?"  Saul,  his  eyes  now  opened  to  the  enor- 
mity of  his  past  acts,  at  once  repented  and  thereupon 
consecrated  his  future  life  to  the  service  of  Christ.'* 

From  the  time  he  reached  manhood  and  onward 
through  his  earthly  career, — at  the  bar,  in  the 
legislative  halls,  and  in  the  Presidential  chair, — 
Abraham  Lincoln  by  his  life  beautifully  illustrated 
Christ's  teaching  of  non-resistance. 

On  being  chided  for  extending  favour  to  one  of 

*  Mark  xvi.,  7;  John  xxi.,  15-19. 

«Matt.  xxvi.,  45-50. 

»  Matt,  xxvi.,  67;  xxvii.,  30;  Mark  xiv.,  65. 

<Acts  ix.,  1-22. 


Non-Resistance  147 

the  meanest  maligners  in  his  own  party,  he  said: 
"If  he  is  malignant  to  me,  I  can't  follow 
suit." 

Major  Whitney  once  told  him  of  a  certain  law- 
yer who  was  trying  to  find  out  what  Lincoln 
really  thought  of  him,  and  said:  "I  don't  like 
him  after  his  treatment  of  you  in  1854,"  to  which 
Mr.  Lincoln  replied:  "I  can't  harbour  enmity  to 
any  one." 

Though  Edward  M.  Stanton,  in  public  speech 
and  in  private  correspondence,  had  customarily 
referred  to  President  Lincoln,  as  "an  imbecile," 
"a  low,  cimning  clown,"  and  as  the  "original 
gorilla,"  and  had  charged  his  administration  with 
"peculation  and  fraud, "  and  had  so  discourteously 
and  disdainfully  treated  him,  that  Mr.  Lincoln 
had  confessed  to  a  friend,  "I  have  never  been  so 
brutally  treated  as  by  that  man  Stanton,"  yet,  in 
spite  of  all  that  Stanton  had  done  to  injure  him, 
the  President  gave  him  the  portfolio  of  Secretary 
of  War  in  his  cabinet. 

One  evening,  a  little  company  of  the  Salvation 
Army  was  holding  service  on  a  street  comer  in 
the  city  of  Buffalo,  when  a  half -tipsy  onlooker  be- 
gan reviling  the  officer  who  was  preaching,  and 
sought  to  break  up  the  meeting.  Instead  of 
rebuking  the  disturber,  or  knocking  him  down, 
the  officer  went  up  to  that  htiman  wreck  and, 
placing  his  hand  in  a  friendly  manner  on  the  sway- 
ing shoulder,  remarked  kindly:     "Well,  brother, 


148         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

I  don't  blame  you.  I  used  to  do  as  you  are  doing, 
but  I  found  it  didn't  pay. " 

To  defend  one's  reputation  by  denying  untrue 
accusations  is  right,  proper,  and  Christian,  but  to 
use  force  in  retaliation  is  un-Christian. 

A  blow  struck  in  retaliation  for  the  utterance 
of  a  slander  will  not  prove  the  untruthfulness  of 
it.  Let  one's  character  and  life  refute  the  slan- 
der; it  is  the  only  refutation  capable  of  extinguish- 
ing it.  "What  you  are, "  said  Emerson,  "speaks  so 
loudly,  that  I  cannot  hear  what  you  say. " 

Legal  Injustice. — Count  Leon  Tolstoi,  taking 
literally  Christ's  teaching  of  non-resistance,  has 
been  led  to  proclaim  : 

"The  first  thing  which  astounded  me,  when  I  had 
understood  the  commandment  of  non-resistance  to 
evil  in  its  simple  sense,  was  that  earthly  courts  of 
justice  not  only  are  not  in  accordance  with  it,  but  are 
directly  contrary  to  it,  contrary  also  to  the  spirit 
of  the  whole  teaching,  and  that  consequently  if 
Christ  thought  of  these  tribunals  He  must  have 
condemned  them. 

"Christ  says,  'Resist  not  evil':  the  object  of  the 
courts  is  to  resist  evil.  Christ  says,  '  Return  good  for 
evil':  the  courts  render  evil  for  evil.  Christ  says, 
*  Do  not  classify  men  as  good  and  bad' ;  the  courts  are 
occupied  in  making  this  distinction.  Christ  said, 
'Forgive  all  men;  .  .  .  love  your  enemies,  do  good  to 
those  that  hate  you';  the  courts  do  not  forgive  but 
punish;  they  render  not  good  but  evil  to  those  whom 
they  call  the  enemies  of  society.     So  that  it  comes  to 


Non-Resistance  149 

this,   that  Christ  must  have  denied  all  courts  of 
justice."^ 

Christ  never  advocated  the  abolition  of  courts, 
any  more  than  He  advocated  the  abolition  of 
government.  Courts  of  law  are  essential  for  the 
existence  of  a  stable  form  of  government ;  a  stable 
form  of  government  is  necessary  for  the  full 
development  of  the  life  of  a  people;  therefore,  as 
Christ  came  to  teach  men  how  to  live  the  most 
complete  life.  He  impliedly  approved  of  all 
agencies  which  assisted  in  His  work. 

The  despotic  government  sent  its  officers  to 
arrest  Christ,  who  had  violated  no  law  of  the 
State  and  had  done  no  wrong  to  any  human  being, 
for  as  Pilate  declared:  "I  find  in  him  no  fault 
at  all."  When  one  of  His  disciples  attempted  by 
force  to  resist  the  officers,  Christ  rebuked  him 
saying:  "I  could  have  twelve  legions  of  angels 
to  rescue  me, "  but  He  did  not  call  for  them. 

He  permitted  the  illegal  trial,  the  unjust  con- 
viction, and  the  cruel  scourging  to  take  place, 
only  protesting  that  He  was  innocent.  Though 
He  possessed  the  power  to  strike  down  to  death 
with  the  thimderbolts  of  heaven  those  who  were 
illegally  trying  Him,  He  used  no  violence,  but 
submitted  to  the  unrighteous  decision  of  the  court. 

Christ  specifically  and  unequivocably  taught 
that  when  personal  difficulties  cannot  be  settled 

'  Christ's  Christianity,  pp.  122,  123. 


I50         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

in  an  amicable  manner  by  the  parties  in  dispute, 
or  by  means  of  arbitrators,  that  the  controversy 
should  be  submitted  "imto  the  church,"  which 
was  the  legal  tribunal  of  the  Hebrew  people.* 

Christ  further  taught  that  even  if  the  individual 
is  called  upon  to  suffer  legal  injustice,  he  should  not 
retaliate,  but  should  continue  to  apply  the  doctrine 
of  love  to  those  who  were  the  cause  of  the  infliction 
of  the  injury. 

Governmental  Oppression. — Christ  taught  by 
His  life  obedience  to  all  law.  He  never  violated 
the  laws  of  Rome  or  resisted  the  decrees  of  the 
government.  Though  He  possessed  the  power 
to  overthrow  the  government  which  persecuted 
and  finally  killed  Him,  He  neither  used  His 
power  nor  retaliated  for  the  wrongs  done  Him. 

To  reform  the  government  required  the  reforma- 
tion of  the  people.  He  went  to  the  source  of  power 
— the  people — and  sought  to  impart  to  them  higher 
ideals  of  living  and  nobler  uses  of  life.  Though 
He  died  upon  the  cross,  the  teachings  He  had 
sown  grew  until  the  oppression  of  the  Roman 
government  was  turned  upon  itself  and  the  im- 
perial monarchy  disintegrated  and  finally  dis- 
appeared from  earth. 

The  Christian's  duty  is  not  to  forcibly  resist 
the  government  for  the  wrongs  done  him  by  the 
government,  but  rather  to  blazen  forth  the  truth, 
until  a  public  sentiment  shall  be  formed  which  will 

» Matt,  xviii.,  15-17. 


Non-Resistance  151 

permanently  reform  the  government,  and  thereby 
prevent  a  repetition  of  the  wrong. 

Summary. — Christ's  law  of  life,  which  is  the 
key  to  His  teaching  of  non-resistance,  is  found  in 
the  following  passages  : 

"But  I  say  unto  you,  love  your  enemies,  do 
good  to  them  which  hate  you. 

"Bless  them  that  curse  you,  and  pray  for  them 
which  despitefully  use  you."'' 

"Do  good  to  them  which  hate  you, "  and  you  will 
learn  to  love  your  enemies. 

The  eminent  French  psychologist,  Ribot,  in 
considering  this  statement,  says  that  it  is  a  well- 
known  law  that  if  we  do  any  one  a  real  kindness  or 
a  sincere  service,  we  awaken  within  ourselves  a 
benevolent  feeling  toward  that  person  and  a 
special  interest  in  him  which  we  may  not  have 
felt  before.  We  cannot,  perhaps,  force  ourselves 
to  love,  but  we  can  force  ourselves  to  do  a  service 
to  an  enemy,  acting  as  though  we  loved  him,  and 
that  law  of  nature  will  create  in  us  the  love  we  did 
not  have. 

"Resist  not  evil"  means  that  evil  should  not  be 
resisted  with  evil,  physical  force  with  physical 
force,  calumny  with  calumny,  vituperation  with 
vituperation,  and  that  nothing  should  be  done 
which  does  not  express  love.  If  men  attack  us, 
we  should  defend  ourselves,  if  necessary,  but  never 
to  the  extent  of  injuring  others. 

»  Luke  vi.,  27,  28. 


152         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Milton  says:  "Who  overcomes  by  force,  hath 
overcome  but  half  his  foe,"  while  Schiller  tells  us 
that  "the  enemy  who  is  overturned  will  rise  again, 
but  he  who  is  reconciled  is  truly  vanquished. " 

No  power  can  destroy  itself.  Evil  will  not 
obliterate  evil.  Force  will  not  eliminate  force. 
The  antidote  of  evil,  anger,  and  envy,  Christ 
declared  to  be  love.  The  application  of  love  will 
remove  barriers  and  will  wipe  away  all  that 
hinders  the  exchange  of  love. 

It  is  a  universal  and  imchangeable  law,  that  like 
begets  like,  that  hate  breeds  hate,  and  that  love 
wins  love.  The  only  way  to  conquer  an  enemy 
is  to  make  of  him  a  friend,  the  only  way  to  over- 
come evil  is  to  overcome  it  with  good. 

Christ  did  not  teach  that  we  should  turn  the  other 
cheek  or  give  away  our  coat  for  the  sake  of  suffer- 
ing. He  repeatedly  said  that  he  who  does  not 
take  up  his  cross  and  renounce  all,  and  is  not  pre- 
pared for  the  consequences  which  follow  obedience 
to  His  gospel,  cannot  be  His  disciple. 

In  sending  forth  the  twelve  disciples,  Christ  said: 

"Behold,  I  send  you  forth  as  sheep  in  the  midst 
of  wolves :  be  ye  therefore  wise  as  serpents,  and 
harmless  as  doves. "  ^ 

Count  Leon  Tolstoi  has  wisely  said: 

"Christ  meant  what  indeed  he  said.  It  may  be 
affirmed  that  the  constant  fulfilment  of  this  rule  is 

»Matt.  X.,  i6. 


Non-Resistance  153 

diffictilt,  and  that  not  every  man  will  find  his  happi- 
ness in  obeying  it;  it  may  be  said  that  it  is  foolish, 
that  as  tinbelievers  pretend,  Christ  was  a  visionary, 
an  idealist,  whose  impracticable  rules  were  only  fol- 
lowed through  the  stupidity  of  His  disciples.  But 
it  is  impossible  not  to  admit  that  Christ  said  very 
cleariy  and  definitely  that  which  he  intended  to  say, 
namely,  that  men  according  to  His  teaching  should 
not  resist  evil,  and  that  therefore  he  who  accepted  His 
teaching  covdd  not  resist  it.  Nevertheless,  neither 
believers,  nor  unbelievers,  understand  these  words 
of  Christ  in  this  clear  and  simple  sense.  "* 

Exception. — ^There  is  one  exception  which 
Christ  made  to  this  rule  of  non-resistance. 

"And  they  come  to  Jerusalem:  and  Jesus  went  into 
the  temple,  and  began  to  cast  out  them  that  sold  and 
bought  in  the  temple,  and  overthrew  the  tables  of 
the  money  changers,  and  the  seats  of  them  that  sold 
doves; 

"And  would  not  suffer  that  any  man  should  carry 
any  vessel  through  the  temple. 

"  And  he  taught,  saying  unto  them.  Is  it  not  written. 
My  house  shall  be  called  of  all  nations  the  house  of 
prayer?  but  ye  have  made  it  a  den  of  thieves. "' 

Christ  used  force  to  defend  others,  but  never 
to  defend  himself.  In  like  manner,  it  is  the  duty 
of  the  individual  to  defend  all  beings  whom  God 
hath  placed  in  his  keeping. 

*  Christ's  Christianity,  p.  i  lo. 
»  Mark  xi.,  15-17. 


154         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

"And,  behold,  one  of  them  which  were  with  Jesus 
stretched  out  his  hand,  and  drew  his  sword,  and 
struck  a  servant  of  the  high  priest,  and  smote  off  his 
ear. 

"Then  said  Jesus  unto  him,  Put  up  again  thy 
sword  into  his  place :  for  all  they  that  take  the  sword 
shall  perish  with  the  sword. 

"Thinkest  thou  that  I  cannot  pray  to  my  Father, 
and  he  shall  presently  give  me  more  than  twelve 
legions  of  angels?  "  ^ 

As  Christ  could  have  received  redress  by  ap- 
pealing to  God,  an  appeal  to  the  sword  was  wrong. 
Christ  rebuked  Peter  for  resenting  the  injury  done 
to  Him,  because  it  was  unnecessary  to  use  force. 

To  use  the  sword  is  wrong,  and  he  who  uses  force 
will  suffer  from  the  use  of  force.  The  duty  of  the 
individual  is  to  provide  a  way  of  redress  other  than 
by  force.  If  he  fails  to  provide  such  remedy  and 
uses  force,  he  will  be  compelled  to  suffer  because 
of  his  neglect  to  take  measures  to  secure  a  peaceful 
way  of  obtaining  justice. 

When  there  is  no  other  remedy  possible  but 
force  to  protect  the  rights  of  another,  then  force 
may  be  used.  There  was  no  way  by  which  Christ 
could  have  rescued  the  Temple  from  the  profana- 
tion of  the  traders,  but  by  the  use  of  force,  and 
force  He,  therefore,  used. 

By  His  example,  we  learn  that  it  is  the  duty  of 
the  individual  to  protect  another  from  misuse. 

» Matt,  xxvi.,  51-53. 


Non-Resistance  155 

But  it  is  well  to  remember  that  it  is  our  duty  to 
provide  the  means  whereby  such  protection  may 
be  had  without  the  use  of  force,  and  for  a  failure 
to  provide  such  means  punishment  will  follow. 

Christ's  Method. — For  all  wrongs,  Christ  has 
provided  a  remedy;  for  all  controversies,  a  plan 
for  settlement. 

"If  thy  brother  shall  trespass  against  thee,"  [said 
Christ,]  "go  and  tell  him  his  fa\ilt  between  thee  and 
him  alone. 

"  If  he  will  not  hear  thee,  then  take  with  thee  one  or 
two  more,  that  in  the  mouth  of  two  or  three  witnesses 
every  word  may  be  established. 

"If  he  shall  neglect  to  hear  thee,  tell  it  unto  the 
church ;  and  if  he  neglect  to  hear  the  church,  let  him  be 
unto  thee  as  a  heathen  man  and  a  pubUcan."* 

The  surrender  of  personal  force  as  a  means  of 
self-protection  is  superceded  by  the  principle  of 
appeal  to  the  sense  of  justice.  Personal  con- 
troversies of  every  kind,  nature,  and  description 
should  be  settled  as  follows: 

(i)  By  personal  negotiation:  The  individual 
receiving  the  injury  should  endeavour  to  make 
peace  by  a  kindly  attitude  and  by  an  earnest 
effort  to  wipe  away  all  unfriendly  and  unkind 
feelings. 

(2)  By  friendly  mediation:  If  peace  cannot 
be  made  by  the  parties  themselves,  the  injured 

'  Matt,  xviii.,  15-17. 


156         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

party  should  seek  a  friendly  third  party  to 
arbitrate  the  controversy  and  endeavour  to  bring 
about  a  reconciUation. 

(3)  If  personal  negotiation  and  friendly  arbi- 
tration fail,  then  the  injured  party  should  bring 
the  matter  in  controversy  before  a  legal  tribunal, 
where  the  subject  in  dispute  may  be  settled  on  the 
basis  of  law  and  equity. 

(4)  If  these  means  fail  to  secure  justice  or  to 
effect  a  reconciliation,  the  Christian  is  admonished 
not  to  use  force,  but  to  let  the  matter  in  dispute 
rest,  and  to  sever  all  future  social  connection  with 
the  unrepentant  wrong-doer. 

If  the  individual  desires  forgiveness  for  his 
transgressions  of  the  Divine  law,  he  must  practise 
towards  his  neighbour  the  acts  which  issue  from 
a  deepseated  love  for  him.  Only  as  we  forgive 
others  for  their  acts  of  violence,  slander,  injustice, 
and  meanness  towards  us,  have  we  the  right  to  ask 
the  Almighty  for  forgiveness  for  our  sinful  and 
unkind  acts  toward  Him, — for  as  Christ  said; 
"If  ye  forgive  not  men  their  trespasses,  neither 
will  your  Father  forgive  you  your  trespasses." 


V 


MARRIAGE  AND  DIVORCE 


157 


MARRIAGE  AND  DIVORCE 

IN  the  "Kingdom  of  God"  the  individual  is  the 
unit  of  value.  Christ  rated  and  measured 
everything  by  that  imperial  unit. 

In  the  social  world,  the  family,  and  not  the 
individual,  is  deemed  the  unit.  This  is  so  because 
society  is  made  up  of  combined  families. 

In  primitive  society,  the  family  was  the  state, 
and  the  father  of  the  family  was  the  sole  law-maker 
and  law-enforcer.  In  the  process  of  time,  neigh- 
bouring families  imited  for  the  purpose  of  mutual 
defence  against  aggressors  or  for  offensive  warfare. 
Out  of  this  union  of  families,  the  tribe  was  born. 
The  families  still  remained  intact  and  separate 
self-governing  communities,  though  they  trans- 
ferred certain  powers  to  an  elected  chief  or  coimcil. 
The  next  evolutionary  step  taken  was  the  uniting 
of  small  tribes  for  military  purposes,  and,  as  more 
and  more  power  was  delegated  by  the  families, 
the  nation  was  formed. 

The  family  being  the  social  imit,  the  purity, 
permanence,  and  welfare  of  society  depends  upon 
the  purity,  permanence,  and  welfare  of  the  family. 

If  the  family  life  be  polluted,  no  purification  of 
the  other  forms  of  the  social  order  will  reach  down 

159 


i6o         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

to  the  source  of  social  life.  When  the  family 
decays,  society  decays,  for,  as  Herbert  Spencer 
says,  "The  welfare  of  the  family  underlies  the 
welfare  of  society." 

"The  solidity  and  health  of  the  social  body 
depend  upon  the  soimdness  of  the  unit,"  wrote 
William  E.  Gladstone.  "That  unit  is  the  family; 
and  the  hinge  of  the  family  is  to  be  found  in 
the  great  and  profound  institution  of  marriage." 
Therefore,  on  account  of  the  supreme  importance 
of  marriage  to  the  well-being  of  the  community, 
the  right  conception  of  its  status  is  of  deep  and 
vital  import. 

"The  word  'marriage'  signifies,  in  the  first  instance, 
that  act  by  which  a  man  and  a  woman  unite  for  life, 
with  the  intent  to  discharge  towards  society  and  one 
another  those  duties  which  result  from  the  relation 
of  husband  and  wife.  The  act  of  union  having  once 
been  accomplished,  the  word  comes  afterwards  to 
denote  the  relation  itself."' 

The  Nature  and  Character  of  Marriage. 

"Marriage  is  either  a  contract  or  a  status  and 
relation  growing  out  of  that  contract.  As  the  former, 
it  is  defined  under  the  modem  doctrine,  as  a  civil 
contract  to  which  is  essential  the  consent  of  parties 
capable  of  contracting,  given  according  to  the  forms 
prescribed  by  law,  if  any  are  required.  As  the  latter, 
it  is  the  civil  status  or  personal  relation  of  one  man  and 

»  Schouler's  Domestic  Relations,  p.  12. 


Marriage  and  Divorce  i6i 

one  woman,  united  by  contract  and  mutual  consent 
for  their  joint  lives,  to  discharge  toward  each  other 
and  the  community  the  duties  imposed  by  law  on  the 
relation  of  husband  and  wife."^ 

Sir  William  Blackstone  said  regarding  the  com- 
mon law  of  England:  "Our  law  considers  mar- 
riage in  no  other  light  than  a  civil  contract."' 

The  common  law  and  the  statutes  of  about  one- 
half  of  the  States  of  the  Union  define  marriage  as 
a  purely  civil  contract.  The  courts  in  several  of 
the  States,  having  found  difficulty  in  distinguish- 
ing this  contract  from  other  civil  contracts,  have 
almost  generally  conceded  marriage  to  be  a  civil 
contract  only  as  to  the  agreement  of  the  parties  to 
marry,  and  this  conception  of  the  definition  of 
marriage  has  been  adopted  into  the  statutes  of 
several  States. 

Marriage  is  more  than  a  contract.  Independent 
of  and  beyond  the  contract  itself,  it  requires  the 
performance  of  certain  definite  acts  to  be  per- 
formed by  the  parties  in  order  to  constitute  a  civil 
marriage.  The  rights  and  obligations  of  the 
marriage  status  are  fixed  by  society,  and  are  regu- 
lated and  controlled  by  public  authority,  upon 
principles  of  public  policy  which  are  beyond  and 
above  the  parties  themselves. 

Mutual  consent,  as  in  all  contracts,  brings  the 
parties  together;  but  mutual  consent  cannot  sepa- 

'  U.  S.  Report  on  Marriage  and  Divorce,  part  I,  1909,  p   182. 
'  Commentaries,  1847,  vol.  i.,  p.  43. 


i62         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

rate  them.  Except  where  the  legislature  by 
general  or  special  ordinance  enables  the  courts  to 
step  in  and  pronounce  a  solemn  divorce,  it  is  only 
by  the  death  of  one  of  the  parties  that  the  tie  is 
dissolved. 

The  status  is  always  regulated  by  the  law  of  the 
State.  The  contract  of  the  parties  is  simply  an 
agreement  to  enter  into  a  certain  status  or  relation. 
Judge  Story  says:  "It  appears  to  me  to  be  some- 
thing more  than  a  mere  contract.  It  is  rather  to  be 
deemed  an  institution  of  society,  founded  upon  the 
consent  and  contract  of  the  parties."^ 

One  of  the  best  definitions  of  the  marriage 
contract  and  status  is  foimd  in  the  following  court 
decision: 

'  "When  the  contracting  parties  have  entered  into 
the  marriage  state,  they  have  not  so  much  entered  into 
a  contract  as  into  a  new  relation,  the  rights,  duties, 
and  obligations  of  which  rest  not  upon  their  agree- 
ment, but  upon  the  general  law  of  the  State,  statutory 
or  common,  which  defines  and  prescribes  those  rights, 
duties,  and  obligations.  They  are  of  law,  not  of 
contract.  It  was  of  contract  that  the  relation  should 
be  established,  but  being  established,  the  power  of  the 
parties  as  to  their  extent  or  duration  is  at  an  end. "' 

"Marriage,"  declares  Dr.  John  Fulton,  "is  not 
a  contract,  but  a  state  of  life  instituted  and  or- 
dained of  God;  and  the  contract  of  marriage  is 

*  Conflict  of  Laws,  §  io8,  note. 
» Adams «.  Palmer,  51  Me.,  483. 


Marriage  and  Divorce  163 

an  agreement  between  competent  persons  to  live 
together  in  that  estate  according  to  God's  holy- 
ordinance.  "^ 

Origin  of  Marriage. — In  the  Book  of  Genesis, 
God  is  reported  to  have  said: 

"Let  us  make  man  in  our  image,  after  our  likeness: 
and  let  them  have  dominion  over  the  fish  of  the  sea, 
and  over  the  fowl  of  the  air,  and  over  the  cattle,  and 
over  all  the  earth,  and  over  every  creeping  thing  that 
creepeth  upon  the  earth. 

"So  God  created  man  in  his  own  image,  in  the  image 
of  God  created  he  him;  male  and  female  created  he 
them."* 

More  specifically,  the  creation  of  man  and 
woman  is  described  in  the  following  verses: 

"And  the  Lord  God  formed  man  out  of  the  dust  of 
the  ground,  and  breathed  into  his  nostrils  the  breath 
of  life;  and  man  became  a  living  soul. 

"  And  the  Lord  God  took  the  man,  and  put  him  into 
the  garden  of  Eden  to  dress  it  and  to  keep  it. 

"And  the  Lord  God  said.  It  is  not  good  that  the 
man  should  be  alone;  I  will  make  him  an  help  meet 
for  him. 

"  And  the  Lord  God  caused  a  deep  sleep  to  fall  upon 
Adam,  and  he  slept:  and  he  took  one  of  his  ribs,  and 
closed  up  the  flesh  instead  thereof. 

"And  the  rib,  which  the  Lord  God  had  taken  from 
man,  made  he  a  woman,  and  brought  her  unto  the 
man. 

*  Laws  of  Marriage,  ii.  '  Gen.  i.,  26,  27. 


164        Christ's  Social  Remedies 

"And  Adam  said,  This  is  now  bone  of  my  bones,  and 
flesh  of  my  flesh :  she  shall  be  called  Woman,  because 
she  was  taken  out  of  Man."* 

The  Almighty,  by  the  bringing  together  of  man 
and  woman  to  live,  to  develop,  and  to  work  as 
one  being,  and  to  raise  children  to  carry  out  the 
plans  of  the  Maker,  created  marriage. 

According  to  the  Book  of  Genesis,  marriage  is 
the  first  contract  performed  on  earth.  God  him- 
self is  reported  to  have  solemnly  ratified  the  union 
in  these  words:  "Therefore  shall  a  man  leave 
his  father  and  his  mother,  and  shall  cleave  unto 
his  wife:  and  they  shall  be  one  flesh. "' 

"We  read  that  God's  determination  was  to  make 
'an  helpmeet  for'  man,  but  the  expression  which  He 
used  implies  much  more ;  literally  it  means  'one  as  his 
front,  his  reflected  image,  his  exact  counterpart.'  It 
is  employed  to  describe  things  which  are  alike  and 
answer  to  each  other :  and  in  this  passage  it  points  to 
the  possession  of  a  common  nature  and  attributes, 
of  responsive  affections,  of  a  mind  and  intellect 
capable  of  sharing  one's  thoughts  and  aspirations."' 

Men  and  women  were  created  for  the  purpose 
of  co-operating  with  each  other,  through  the  per- 
formance of  different  functions.  God  assigned 
to  the  sexes  different  physical,  mental,  and  moral 
characteristics.     The  faculties  possessed  by  each 

»  Gen.  ii.,  7,  15,  18,  21-23.  *Gen.  ii.,  24. 

'  The  History  oj  Marriage,  by  H.  B.  Luckock,  p.  4. 


Marriage  and  Divorce  165 

are  not  possessed  in  the  same  degree,  nor  are  they 
manifested  in  the  same  mode.  Christ  declared: 
"From  the  beginning  of  the  creation,  God  made 
them  male  and  female."  Neither  sex  alone  fully 
images  the  Maker;  it  is  only  when  the  two  are 
imited  that  both  sides  of  humanity  are  seen  and 
the  full  man  is  presented  to  view. 

Shakespeare,  with  his  keen  insight  into  the 
himian  heart  and  into  the  life  of  men  and  women, 
said: 

"He  is  the  half  part  of  a  blessed  man, 
Left  to  be  finished  by  such  as  she ; 
And  she  is  a  fair  divided  excellence, 

Whose  fulness  of  perfection  lies  in  him." 

Hegel  expressed  the  same  truth  in  these  words : 
"I  win  myself  in  another  person,  that  I  become 
in  her  what  she  on  her  part  secures  in  me."' 

Though  the  fimctions  and  uses  which  distin- 
guish the  sexes  are  fimdamentally  different,  yet 
they  run  side  by  side  in  two  exactly  parallel 
lines,  the  one  corresponding  to  the  other,  and 
the  two,  brought  together  in  marriage,  become 
reconciled  and  mutually  adapted,  and  thereby 
complete  the  whole  circle  of  social  life.  This  is 
the  only  sane  and  reasonable  explanation  of  the 
unity  and  sanctity  of  marriage. 

Dr.  Felix  Adler  has  written: 

'Matt,  xix.,  4. 

»Herzog,  Real  Enclklopddie,  art.  "Ehe,"  p.  67. 


i66         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

"We  are  not  married  on  our  wedding-day;  on  that 
day  we  do  but  begin  to  be  married.  The  true  marriage 
is  an  endless  process,  the  perpetual  interlinking  of  two 
souls  while  life  lasts. 

"Marriage  is  an  estate  in  which  we  seek  to  help 
each  other  to  solve  the  total  problem  of  our  lives. 
The  attraction  of  the  sexes,  seen  in  the  light  of  this 
conception,  is  glorified  and  transfigured.  Marriage 
is  an  estate  in  which  we  charge  ourselves,  not  only 
with  the  comfort  and  the  happiness  of  another  but 
with  the  problem  of  the  total  spiritual  destiny  of 
another.  And  because  we  live  in  our  influence, 
because  our  life  is  strongest  and  purest  where  our 
influence  is  most  penetrating,  therefore,  in  the  estate 
of  marriage  it  is  possible  for  us  to  attain  a  depth  of 
spiritual  development  such  as  can  be  achieved  in 
no  other  human  relationship  whatsoever."^ 

Marriage  is  a  Divine  institution,  resting  on 
Divine  appointment  and  governed  by  Divine  laws. 

In  the  story  of  the  creation  of  man  and  woman 
and  their  union  in  marriage,  we  find  the  following 
principles  definitely  stated: 

(i)  The  equality  of  man  and  woman.  "So 
God  created  man  in  his  own  image,  .  .  .  male  and 
female." 

(2)  Conjugal  chastity.  "Naked  and  not 
ashamed." 

(3)  Their  absolute  unity.  "Shall  be  one 
flesh. "    The  first  man  and  first  woman  were  more 

»  Life  and  Destiny,  pp.  70-72. 


Marriage  and  Divorce  167 

than  figuratively  one,  for  they  were  physically  knit 
together.  When  physically  separated,  they  be- 
come one  by  marriage  as  do  two  separate  streams 
which  when  joined  and  blended  flow  together  in  a 
single  channel. 

(4)  The  exclusiveness  of  their  union.  "The 
Lord  God  said:  ...  I  will  make  him  an  help- 
meet for  him. "  Not  two  helps,  one  only  was  all 
that  was  requisite.  God  created  only  one  woman 
for  Adam,  and  only  one  man  for  Eve. 

(5)  Its  indissolubility.  "Cleave  unto  his 
wife;  and  they  shall  be  one  flesh." 

The  Hebrew  word  which  is  rendered  "cleave" 
means  to  be  glued  to,  to  be  soldered,  inseparably 
joined.  * 

Christ's  Attitude  toward  Marriage. — In 
the  days  of  Christ,  the  learned  Jews  held  two 
opinions  as  to  putting  away,  that  is,  such  put- 
ting away  as  would  dissolve  marriage.  Some  of 
the  Rabbis  held,  that  the  text  of  Deuteronomy' 
allowed  the  husband  to  put  away  his  wife  when- 
ever she  found  no  favour  in  his  eyes;  in  other 
words,  whenever  he  desired  to  do  so ;  others  inter- 
preted the  passage  to  mean  that  the  wife  could  be 
put  away  only  when  the  husband  had  found  some 
uncleanness  in  her.  Uncleanness  they  interpreted 
to  mean  adultery. 

"The  Pharisees  also  came  unto  him,  tempting  him, 
«  Marriage  by  Luckock,  p.  8.  '  Deut.  xxiv.,  1-4. 


i68         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

and  saying  unto  him,  'Is  it  lawful  for  a  man  to  put 
away  his  wife  for  every  cause?'  And  he  answered 
and  said  unto  them,  Have  ye  not  read  that  he  which 
made  them  at  the  beginning  made  them  male  and 
female,  and  said.  For  this  cause  shall  a  man  leave 
father  and  mother  and  cleave  to  his  wife;  and  they 
twain  shall  be  one  flesh?  Wherefore  they  are  no 
more  twain,  but  one  flesh.  What  therefore  God  hath 
joined  together  let  not  man  put  asunder."' 

Whatever  may  be  one's  views  regarding  the 
historical  authority  of  the  narrative  of  the  crea- 
tion of  man  and  of  the  origin,  nature,  and  purpose 
of  marriage,  or  the  inspirational  character  of  these 
stories,  the  fact  must  be  recognised  that,  in  the 
foregoing  quotation,  Christ  distinctly  reaffirmed 
the  following  principles  applying  to  the  marriage 
state  as  contained  in  the  first  two  chapters  of  the 
Book  of  Genesis. 

(i)  That  when  a  man  and  a  woman  are  joined 
in  wedlock  they  are  no  more  twain ;  a  new  person 
is  created;  they  are  thenceforth  one  flesh,  that  is, 
one  earthly  individuality,  with  one  life,  one  will, 
one  heart. 

(2)  That  but  one  man  and  one  woman  shall 
constitute  a  marital  imion.  On  another  occasion, 
Christ  said:  "Whosoever  shall  put  away  his 
wife,  and  marry  another,  committeth  adultery 
against  her.    And  if  a  woman  put  away  her  hus- 

» Matt,  xix.,  3-6. 


Marriage  and  Divorce  169 

band,  and  be  married  to  another,  she  committeth 
adultery."^ 

This  is  a  clear  statement,  showing  that  for  a 
man  to  have  two  wives,  or  a  woman  two  husbands, 
at  the  same  time,  is  for  such  man  or  such  woman  to 
commit  adultery.  Polygamy  and  polyandry  are 
thereby  condemned. 

(3)  That  the  Mosaic  law 

"When  a  man  hath  taken  a  wife,  and  married  her, 
and  it  come  to  pass  that  she  find  no  favour  in  his  eyes, 
because  he  hath  foimd  some  uncleanness  in  her: 
then  let  him  write  her  a  bill  of  divorcement,  and  give 
it  in  her  hand,  and  send  her  out  of  his  house.  And 
when  she  is  departed  out  of  his  house,  she  may  go 
and  be  another  man's  wife."  * 

was  contrary  to  the  law  of  Jehovah  and,  there- 
fore, was  of  no  effect. 

(4)  That  the  relationship  established  between 
the  first  man  and  the  first  woman  by  the  act  of 
creation  should  be  perpetuated  in  the  marriage 
of  their  descendants  in  all  after  time. 

Duty  of  Marrying. — ^The  essence  of  Christ's 
teaching  in  regard  to  marriage  is  that  only 
through  the  marriage  state  does  a  man  or  woman 
live  the  complete  life.  To  fully  develop  his  per- 
sonality, to  awaken  all  his  powers,  and  to  bring 
to  fruition  the  best  within  him,  a  man  must  ex- 
perience the  responsibihties,  perform  the  duties, 

•Mark  x.,  ii,  12.  »Deut.  zxiv.,  i,  2. 


170        Christ's  Social  Remedies 

and  partake  of  the  benefits  arising  out  of  the  re- 
lationship of  a  husband  and  father.  In  like  man- 
ner, no  woman,  who  has  failed  to  become  a  wife  and 
mother,  has  awakened  and  developed  the  richness, 
the  beauty,  and  the  perfection  of  her  personality. 

While  it  is  the  duty  of  the  individual  to  marry 
in  order  to  obtain  a  fully  developed  character 
and  to  live  a  well-rounded  life,  Christ  indicated 
certain  exceptions  which  may  be  made  to  this 
rule. 

In  answer  to  the  question  of  the  disciples  as  to 
whether  it  is  "good  to  marry,"  Jesus  replied: 

"For  there  are  some  eunuchs  which  were  so  bom 
from  their  mother's  womb;  and  there  are  some 
eunuchs,  which  were  made  eunuchs  of  men;  and 
there  be  eunuchs,  which  have  made  themselves 
eunuchs  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven's  sake."» 

By  these  words  Christ  taught  that  one  who  is 
unable  to  perform  properly  the  pro-creative 
functions  of  marriage  through  natural  physical 
defects,  or  inheritable  disease,  should  not  marry; 
that  one  who  has  since  birth  become  physically 
deformed  or  diseased,  so  that  evil  or  no  results 
would  follow  matrimony,  should  not  marry.  For 
the  third  exception  Christ  taught,  that  if  an  in- 
dividual lives  a  single  life  in  order  to  better  serve 
God  and  man,  such  sacrifice  is  well-pleasing  in 
His  sight. 

*  Matt,  xix,  lo,  12. 


Marriage  and  Divorce  171 

Charles  Lamb,  who  put  aside  his  desire  to 
marry  and  burned  what  he  called  the  "Httle 
journal  of  his  fooUsh  passion"  in  order  to  be 
"wedded  to  the  fortimes  of  his  sister  and  poor 
old  father,"  illustrates  Christ's  teaching  with 
regard  to  making  a  eunuch  of  oneself  "for  the 
kingdom  of  heaven's  sake."  He  tenderly  cared 
for  his  aged  and  dependent  father,  and  watched 
the  moods  that  foreshadowed  the  coming  of  an 
insane  spell  over  his  sweet  sister,  and  when 
those  dark  clouds  gathered,  he  would  link  his 
arm  with  hers  and  lead  her  to  the  asylum,  there 
to  remain  until  the  mad  fit  had  passed  away. 
Thus,  to  his  father  and  to  his  sister,  he  gave  his 
life  with  beautiful  devotion,  and  through  such  self- 
sacrifice  grew  strong,  sweet,  and  gentle,  and  as 
lovable  as  becometh  a  true  child  of  God. 

In  like  manner,  an  individual,  by  devoting  his 
life  to  making  the  life  of  another  happy,  beautiful, 
pure,  and  good,  may  obtain  the  development  of 
those  powers  which  come  through  marriage,  and 
receive  the  blessing  of  God  on  the  self-sacrifice 
made. 

Safeguarding  Marriage. — ^As  marriage  is 
the  most  important  as  well  as  the  most  sacred 
contract  entered  into  by  human  beings,  and  the 
most  serious  and  solemn  incident  of  their  Hves, 
infinite  care  should  be  exercised  in  its  contraction. 

The  American  Episcopal  Church,  in  the  in- 
troduction to  the  marriage  service,  states  that 


172         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

marriage  is  "honourable  among  all  men,  and  there- 
fore is  not  by  any  to  be  entered  into  unadvisedly 
or  lightly;  but  reverently,  discreetly,  advisedly, 
soberly,  and  in  the  fear  of  God. " 

As  a  rule,  people  give  greater  forethought  to  the 
purchase  of  a  house  than  to  the  selection  of  a 
partner  for  life. 

When  buying  real  property,  the  intending 
purchaser  carefully  examines  the  property,  makes 
inquiries  as  to  its  value,  employs  an  attorney  to 
ascertain  whether  or  not  there  are  any  claims 
against  it  or  defects  in  the  title,  and  considers 
with  care  his  ability  to  perform  his  part  of  the 
contract. 

On  the  other  hand,  in  selecting  a  life  partner, 
many  act  on  impulse  and  in  haste,  without  giving 
the  matter  the  serious  consideration  it  deserves. 
They  often  heedlessly  and  indiscreetly  rush  into  a 
contract  of  matrimony,  and  repent  soon  there- 
after, when  it  is  too  late  to  restore  them  to  their 
former  position. 

Until  marriage  is  looked  upon  as  a  sacred,  life- 
long contract,  the  present  social  evils  of  frequent 
divorce  and  consecutive  marriage  will  prevail. 

The  rational,  reasonable  way  to  minimise  the 
divorce  evil  is  to  place  barriers  against  easy 
matrimony,  and  make  marriage  a  bulwark  of 
sincere  and  holy  purpose  against  which  the  waves 
of  youthful  impetuosity  and  unripe  affection  will 
dash  in  vain.    This  the  law  can  do  by  requiring 


Marriage  and  Divorce  173 

the  candidates  for  matrimony  to  possess  proper 
qualifications,  and  by  providing  a  period  of  time 
within  which  careful  consideration  may  be  given 
to  the  duties  growing  out  of  the  marriage  state. 
Reformatory  measures  should  begin  at  the  altar, 
and  not  at  the  divorce  court.  A  system  which 
permits  a  young  couple  still  in  their  "teens"  to 
appear  before  a  justice  of  the  peace  or  a  minister 
of  the  Gospel  and  enter  into  the  most  solemn 
contract  of  their  lives,  without  the  consent  of  their 
parents,  the  knowledge  of  their  friends,  or  the 
opporttmity  for  reflection,  can  but  terminate  in 
many  fatal  mistakes  and  life-long  miseries. 

To  safeguard  marriage  the  following  plans  are 
suggested : 

(i)  Marriage  License. — A  marriage  license 
issued  by  the  State  should  be  required  to  be  pro- 
cured before  the  ceremony  be  performed.  In 
all  the  States,  with  the  exception  of  New  Jersey 
and  South  Carolina,  Hcenses  to  marry  are  now 
required,  but  they  prove  of  little  value  except  as 
evidence  of  the  performance  of  an  actual  marriage, 
and  they  thereby  constitute  but  a  mere  formality. 
This  is  so,  because  a  marriage  ceremony  may 
follow  immediately  on  the  issuance  of  a  license. 

A  provision  should  be  made  for  the  publication 
of  the  license  and  for  a  reasonable  period  of  time 
to  elapse  between  the  issuance  of  the  license 
and  the  performance  of  the  ceremony,  which 
period  should  be  of  sufficient  duration  to  allow 


174         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

the  parties  a  chance  to  give  serious  thought  to 
the  importance  of  the  status  they  are  about  to 
enter,  of  the  duties  and  responsibiHty  arising  out 
of  such  relation,  and  of  the  fitness  of  each  for 
the  other.  A  three  weeks'  intermission  between 
the  issuance  of  the  marriage  Hcense  and  the 
performance  of  the  ceremony  ought  not  to  be 
productive  of  harm,  while  it  might  prove  of  in- 
calculable value. 

Hon.  Henry  B.  Brown,  former  Justice  of  the 
United  States  Supreme  Court  has  said: 

"People  may  marvel  at  and  deplore  the  frequency 
of  divorces,  but  so  long  as  marriages  are  made  upon 
the  whim  of  a  moment,  divorces  will  multiply  rather 
than  diminish.  It  is  far  better  to  discourage  divorces 
by  making  them  undesired  than  by  facilitating  the 
unions  which  make  them  necessary.  Unless  the 
marriage  license  be  preceded  by  a  publication  of 
banns,  or  followed  by  an  interval  of  some  days  before 
the  marriage  ceremony,  it  is  but  a  slight  obstacle  to 
the  hasty  unions  which  are  the  most  frequent  causes 
of  divorce."^ 

The  Roman  Catholic  Church  has  wisely  adopted 
the  following  law  for  the  pubHcation  of  the  banns 
of  matrimony: 

"In  order  to  place  a  check  upon  clandestine  mar- 
riages, to  discover  any  impediments  which  may  exist, 
to  prevent  deceptions  and  surprises,  to  afford  parents 

^  Address  before  Maryland  State  Bar  Association,  Law  Notes, 
October,  1909. 


Marriage  and  Divorce  175 

and  others  interested  an  opportunity  to  interpose,  if 
needful,  and  in  order  to  procure  the  prayers  of  the 
faithful  that  God  may  give  light,  grace,  and  pros- 
perity to  the  contracting  parties,  the  Council  of  Trent 
has  decreed  that  the  promises  of  marriage  be  published 
on  three  successive  Sundays  or  Holydays,  at  the  principal 
Mass  by  the  Parish  Priest  of  the  parties ^^ 

No  marriage  should  be  permitted  to  take  place 
without  the  intervention  of  a  stated  period  of  time 
between  the  issuance  of  the  license  and  the  per- 
formance of  the  ceremony,  so  that  proper  fore- 
thought may  be  given  by  those  who  are  about  to 
take  upon  themselves  the  responsibilities  and 
obligations  arising  out  of  the  marriage  state.  By 
safeguarding  with  a  three  weeks'  period  of  time 
intervening  between  the  issuance  of  the  license  and 
the  performance  of  the  ceremony,  marriages  for 
fun,  for  pique,  and  for  the  gratification  of  foolish 
fancies  will  be  rare. 

This  intermission  will  not  prevent  the  union  of 
those  who  truly  love  each  other,  who  honour  and 
revere  the  sacred  marriage  relation,  and  who  are 
planning  for  a  life-long  partnership. 

(2)  Physical  Bill  of  Health. — The  posses- 
sion of  physical  as  well  as  mental  health,  by  the 
parties  entering  into  a  marriage  contract,  should 
be  made  a  legal  requirement.  This  does  not 
mean  that  mere  weakness  or  loss  of  health  should 
bar  one  from  matrimony,  but  that  marriage  should 

*  Sess.  xxiv. 


176         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

be  denied  to  those  who  are  afflicted  with  a  dis- 
ease which  is  infectuous  or  hereditary.  No  law 
should  be  passed  which  would  prevent  a  Robert 
Browning  from  stooping  and  picking  "up  a  fair- 
coined  soul  that  lay  rusting  in  a  pool  of  tears.  "^ 

If  physical  health  is  a  prerequisite  to  enlist- 
ment in  the  army  and  the  navy  and  for  becoming 
a  policeman  or  a  fireman,  ought  it  not  also  be  a 
qualification  required  of  those  entering  the  mar- 
riage state? 

From  a  social  standpoint,  individuals  have  no 
right,  and  should  not  be  allowed,  to  bring  into  the 
world  children  foredoomed  to  disease  and  suffer- 
ing, and  thus  imfitted  for  a  successful  struggle  with 
the  conditions  of  life. 

It  has  been  truly  said  that  every  child  has  a 
right  to  be  well  bom.  There  can  be  no  greater 
crime  committed  against  an  individual  than  to 
inoculate  him  with  contagion,  the  effects  of  which 
may  outlast  several  generations.  Hon.  C.  H. 
Reeve  has  said: 

"If  the  vilest  mortal  that  lives  sees  proper  to 
marry,  the  law  issues  a  license  for  the  asking,  takes 
the  fee,  makes  the  record,  and  leaves  the  offspring 
and  society  to  shift  for  themselves  the  best  they  can. 
Even  paupers  while  in  the  poorhouse,  and  criminals 
while  in  jail,  are  in  every  way  encouraged  and  given 
licenses  to  marry  and  are  protected  by  the  law.  No 
thought  is  taken  for  the  unfortunate  offspring,  or  for 

'Shelley,  by  Francis  Thompson,  p.  38. 


Marriage  and  Divorce  177 

the  body  politic  or  the  social  welfare,  and  the  irre- 
parable evils  that  must  fall  upon  all.  The  Church 
adds  its  sanction,  and  its  ministers  aid  in  making 
these  civil  contracts  by  performing  a  ceremony  with 
prayers  and  benedictions.  If  it  is  wise  to  prohibit 
polygamy,  marriage  between  relations,  and  between 
persons  whose  insanity  or  idiocy  is  self-evident,  it  is 
equally  wise  to  prohibit  it  in  all  cases  where  evil  may 
follow.  If  the  law  has  the  power  to  prohibit  and 
punish  violation  in  the  one  case,  it  has  equal  right  in 
all  others. 

"There  is  an  endless  procession  of  children  from 
all  these  sources  coming  into  the  mass  of  population 
to  live  lives  of  crime,  immorality,  want,  suffering,  mis- 
fortune, and  degeneracy,  transmitting  the  taint  in 
constantly  widening  streams,  generation  after  genera- 
tion, with  ultimate  certainty  of  the  deterioration  of 
the  race  and  final  ineradicable  degeneracy." 

The  prevalence  of  certain  communicable  and 
inheritable  diseases,  with  their  devastating  effects 
upon  the  lives  of  parents,  as  well  as  upon  their 
offspring,  is  but  little  comprehended,  despite  the 
publicity  work  of  physicians  and  the  campaign 
of  the  American  Society  of  Sanitary  and  Moral 
Prophylaxis  for  the  spreading  of  information 
on  this  subject. 

Tuberculosis,  our  national  scourge,  is  a  disease 
so  well  known  as  to  require  but  its  mere  mention 
in  order  to  bring  to  our  minds  a  realisation  of  its 
ravaging  effects  on  parents  and  their  children. 

The  so-called  social  diseases,  "The  Great  Black 


178  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Plague,"  working  in  darkness,  hidden  from 
publicity  through  the  shame  of  its  source,  im- 
fettered  by  sanitary  control,  and  inflicting,  un- 
seen, the  social  body,  is  but  little  known  and  less 
understood. 

These  social  diseases,  being  infectuous  or  in- 
heritable, are  sapping  the  life  of  the  American 
people,  producing  untold  suffering,  and  filling 
hospitals  and  asylums  with  multitudes  of  victims. 

The  great  evils  of  these  diseases  are  caused 
through  their  introduction  into  married  life.  A 
large  portion  of  men  contract  one  or  more  of  these 
diseases  before  reaching  the  marriageable  age, 
and  enter  into  the  marriage  state  wholly  ignorant 
of  the  fact  that  they  are  bearers  of  contagion  to 
their  wives  and  offspring. 

The  great  prevalence  of  these  diseases  is  shown 
by  the  careful  investigations  of  Dr.  Prince  A. 
Morrow,  who  asserts  that  "it  would  be  a  con- 
servative estimate  to  state  that  60  per  cent,  of 
the  adult  male  population  of  this  country  are 
infected."^ 

The  devastating  effect  of  those  diseases  is  in- 
dicated by  the  following  statistics  taken  from 
Introduction  in  the  Physiology  and  Hygiene  of 
Sex,  a  monograph  published  by  the  Society  of 
Sanitary  and  Moral  Prophylaxis: 

Eighty  per  cent,  of  the  men  of  New  York  City 
who  contract  marriage  have  had  one  of  the  social 

'  Am.  Journal  of  Sociology,  xiii.,  22. 


Marriage  and  Divorce  179 

diseases;  and  90  per  cent,  of  those  men  enter  into 
the  marriage  state  tmcured. 

These  diseases  are  the  direct  cause  of: 

Eighty  per  cent,  of  all  purulent  ophthalmia 
in  the  new-bom. 

Thirty-three  per  cent,  of  all  blindness  of  the 
children  in  the  New  York  School  for  the  Blind. 

Fifteen  to  twenty  per  cent,  of  all  blindness  in 
the  coimtry. 

Eighty  per  cent,  of  all  inflammatory  diseases 
pecuUar  to  women. 

Fifty  per  cent,  of  all  operations  performed  on 
the  maternal  organs. 

Forty-five  per  cent,  of  all  sterile  marriages. 

Sixty  to  eighty  per  cent,  of  all  children  dying 
before  birth. 

Sixty  to  eighty  per  cent,  of  all  children  dying 
shortly  after  birth. 

Sixty-eight  per  cent,  of  the  mortality  of  all 
children. 

Many  of  the  affections  of  the  eyes,  ears,  teeth, 
bones,  and  other  tissues,  suffered  by  the  children 
of  infected  parents,  which  children  are  often  sub- 
ject to  various  degenerative  changes  which  are 
susceptible  of  being  transmitted  to  the  second  and 
third  generation. 

As  these  social  diseases  are  curable,  a  physical 
bill  of  health  should  be  required  as  a  prerequisite 
to  the  granting  of  a  marriage  license,  in  order 
that  the  innocent  may  not  be  made  to  suffer  for 


i8o         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

the  sins  of  the  guilty,  and  that  a  healthy  race  may 
be  produced.  The  States  of  Indiana  and  Wash- 
ington' have  enacted  laws  prohibiting  the  mar- 
riage of  those  afflicted  with  tuberculosis  and  the 
social  diseases,  and  requiring  a  physical  bill  of 
health  to  be  prooired  before  a  marriage  can  be 
solemnised. 

Divorce.— The  following  utterance  was  called 
forth  by  an  attempt  on  the  part  of  a  company  of 
Pharisees  to  test  Christ's  position  on  the  legal 
aspect  of  divorce: 

"The  Pharisees  also  came  unto  him,  tempting  him, 
and  saying  unto  him.  Is  it  lawful  for  a  man  to  put 
away  his  wife  for  every  cause? 

"And  he  answered  and  said  unto  them,  Have  ye 
not  read,  that  he  which  made  them  at  the  beginning 
made  them  male  and  female, 

"And  said.  For  this  cause  shall  a  man  leave  father 
and  mother,  and  shall  cleave  to  his  wife:  and  they 
twain  shall  be  one  flesh? 

"Wherefore  they  are  no  more  twain,  but  one  flesh. 
What  therefore  God  hath  joined  together,  let  no 
man  put  asunder. 

"They  say  unto  him,  Why  did  Moses  then  com- 
mand to  give  a  writing  of  divorcement,  and  put  her 
away? 

"He  saith unto  them,  Moses  because  of  the  hardness 
of  yotu-  hearts  suffered  you  to  put  away  your  wives: 
but  from  the  beginning  it  was  not  so. 

"And  I  say  unto  you,  Whosoever  shall  put  away  his 

*  Chap.  174,  Laws  1909. 


Marriage  and  Divorce  i8i 

wife,  except  it  be  for  fornication,  and  shall  marry 
another,  committeth  adiiltery:  and  whoso  marrieth 
her  which  is  put  away  doth  commit  adtiltery."  ^ 

In  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  Christ  said: 

"It  hath  been  said.  Whosoever  shall  put  away  his 
wife,  let  him  give  her  a  writing  of  divorcement: 

"But  I  say  unto  you,  That  whosoever  shall  put 
away  his  wife,  saving  for  the  cause  of  fornication, 
causeth  her  to  commit  adultery:  and  whosoever  shall 
marry  her  that  is  divorced  committeth  adultery."* 

Christ  taught  by  these  statements: 
(i)     That    the    only    ground    for    divorce    is 
adultery. 

(2)  That  a  divorce  for  any  other  cause  is  void, 
and  in  the  sight  of  God  the  parties  continue  to 
remain  husband  and  wife. 

(3)  That  a  second  marriage  of  the  parties  who 
have  been  divorced  on  a  ground  other  than  adul- 
tery, is  no  marriage  in  the  sight  of  God,  and  that 
such  parties  live  in  adultery. 

(4)  That  a  person  who  marries  a  party  who 
has  been  divorced  on  a  ground  other  than  adul- 
tery, is  guilty  of  adultery. 

(5)  That  the  innocent  party,  who  has  obtained 
a  divorce  on  the  groimd  of  adultery,  is  not  for- 
bidden to  marry  again. 

(6)  Impliedly,  He  condemned  the  marriage 
of  the  guilty  party. 

»  Matt,  xix.,  3-9.  '  Matt,  v.,  31,  32. 


i82         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Matthew  reports  Christ  to  have  taught  that 
the  marriage  bond  may  be  dissolved  on  one  con- 
dition— "for  the  cause  of  fornication." 

Mark  and  Luke  give  no  hint  of  any  exception 
having  been  made,  but  represent  Christ  as  teach- 
ing in  the  most  explicit  manner  that  marriage  is 
absolutely  indissoluble. 

There  is  no  way  of  knowing,  so  far  as  the  ac- 
curacy of  the  testimony  is  concerned,  as  to  which 
of  these  reports  is  correct. 

Some  of  the  leaders  in  American  thought  and  life 
interpret  the  teachings  of  Christ  after  this  fashion : 
"  The  words  of  Christ,  like  many  of  His  sayings, 
can  be  applied  literally  only  to  the  social  condi- 
tions in  which  He  lived,  and  they  are  not  meant 
to  be  a  code  of  law  for  all  later  generations," 
said  Dr.  Carroll  D.  Wright.  Then  having  in 
this  manner  nullified  the  teachings  of  Christ  as 
to  their  applicability  to  the  conditions  of  to-day, 
Dr.  Wright  continues: 

"That  several  causes  (for  divorce  besides  the 
scriptural  one)  may  be  allowed,  and  should  be  allowed, 
lies  in  the  nature  of  the  problem."  ^ 

Rev.  Minot  J.  Savage,  after  considering  the 
accounts  of  Matthew,  Mark,  and  Luke,  says: 

"It  seems  to  me  that  we  must  rationally  come  to 
this  conclusion, — that  there  is  no  divine  authority 
touching  this  matter,  which  is  binding  on  the  world, 

•  Practical  Sociology,  p.  171. 


Marriage  and  Divorce  183 

except  as  we  find  that  authority  in  human  experience. 
.  .  .  That  we  are  perfectly  free  to  look  at  and  discuss 
this  question  in  the  light  of  reason  and  human  experi- 
ence, and  try  to  decide  as  to  what  is  best  for  the 
individuals  concerned  and  for  human  society."* 

Dr.  Savage  then  states  his  own  views : 

"If  the  husband  and  wife  have  both  ceased  to  love 
each  other,  and  there  are  no  children  .  .  .  then  they 
should  be  permitted  to  separate.  .  .  . 

"Suppose  there  are  children;  suppose  that  the 
husband  and  wife  have  both  lost  their  love  each  for 
the  other,  what  then?  If  the  children's  welfare  should 
be  subserved  by  their  maintaining  a  home,  then  they 
are  under  the  highest  kind  of  obligation  to  maintain 
that  home.  ,  .  .  But  there  are  cases  where  the  con- 
ditions of  the  home  have  become  so  intolerable  that 
it  is  better  for  the  children  to  be  out  of  it,  to  be  out 
from  imder  that  kind  of  influence.  In  a  case  like 
that  I  believe  that  separation  should  take  place,  and 
the  children  put  in  the  guardianship  of  the  one  who 
can  best  care  for  them."* 

According  to  Dr.  Wright  and  Dr.  Savage,  who 
voice  the  views  of  the  modern  prophets  in  the 
religious  world,  when  Christ's  teachings  come 
into  conflict  with  our  individual  opinion  and  a 
discrepancy  exists  in  the  various  reports  of  His 
doctrine,  then  we  may  sweep  them  aside  by  as- 
signing their  application  to  conditions  which  ex- 
isted at  the  time  Christ  spoke,  or  by  stating  that 

»  Men  and  Women,  pp.  129,  131.  'Ibid.,  139,  140,  141. 


1 84         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

the  uncertainty  as  to  their  exact  meaning  causes 
them  to  be  binding  on  no  one. 

The  so-called  higher  critics  of  the  Bible  are 
almost  a  unit  in  their  announced  position,  that 
when  differences  exist  in  the  reports  of  a  rule  or 
statement,  then  such  rule  or  statement  should  be 
rejected  and  have  no  place  in  our  thotight  and  life. 

This  position,  if  taken,  enables  one  to  place  his 
own  views  above  the  teachings  of  Christ,  and  to 
substitute  individual  opinion  for  the  doctrines 
laid  down  by  the  Master. 

The  teachings  in  our  colleges,  the  writings  of 
our  most  eminent  sociologists,  and  the  lives  of  our 
people  clearly  indicate  that  the  present  trend 
of  thought  and  life  in  America  in  this  twentieth 
century  is  away  from  the  teachings  of  Christ 
on  the  subject  of  marriage  and  divorce,  and  is 
toward  that  ancient  pagan  doctrine,  that  in- 
dividual happiness  is  the  sole  test  for  the  entrance 
into,  and  the  exit  from,  the  marriage  state. 

"The  promotion  of  happiness  is  the  only  safe 
criterion  to  guide  the  lawmaker  in  either  widen- 
ing or  narrowing  the  door  of  escape  from  bad 
marriages,"  says  Prof.  George  Elliot  Howard,  of 
the  University  of  Nebraska.^ 

Prof.  Charles  Zueblin,  formerly  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Chicago,  asserts: 

" '  There  can  be  and  are  holier  alliances  without  the 
'  Am.  Journal  of  Sociology,  May,  1909,  p.  773. 


Marriage  and  Divorce  185 

marriage  bond  than  within  it';  while  Prof.  Franklin 
H.  Giddings  of  Columbia  University  says  that  'it  is 
not  right  to  set  up  a  technical  legal  relationship,  an 
economic  convenience,  or  a  circumstance  of  social 
conventionality  as  morally  superior  to  the  spon- 
taneous preference  of  a  man  and  woman  who  know, 
and  whose  friends  know,  that  they  love  each  other.* 
"The  whole  or  a  part  of  this  doctrine  has  been  held 
and  taught  by  some  of  the  best  men  and  women  that 
have  yet  lived.  Dante  foretold  it  in  his  Vita  Nuova. 
Petrarch  proclaimed  it  in  his  fidelity  to  Laura. 
John  Milton,  the  sanest,  as  he  was  the  greatest,  of 
Puritans,  iterated  and  re-iterated  it  in  his  famous 
tract  on  divorce,  which  no  ecclesiastic  with  a  self- 
respecting  regard  for  his  own  intellectual  reputation 
has  ever  dared  try  to  answer.  Shelley  and  Goethe 
preached  it  in  both  their  words  and  deeds.  Richard 
Wagner  stood  for  it  tmflinchingly  throughout  life, 
and  gave  it  expression  in  the  imperishable  music  of 
Tristan  and  Isolde.  John  Stuart  Mill,  a  calm- 
minded  philosopher,  held  fast  to  it  through  his 
relations  with  Mrs.  Taylor,  when  his  cherished 
friends  cut  him  dead  because  of  it.  George  Eliot 
proclaimed  her  loyalty  to  it  by  a  life  of  very  quiet 
but  effective  defiance  of  Mrs.  Grundy  and  all  her 
British  matrons.  And  Herbert  Spencer  carefully 
formulated  it  in  his  autobiography."' 

Harold  Bolce,  in  summing  up  the  sociological 
teachings  of  our  colleges,  says: 

»  Quoted  from  Blasting  at  the  Rock  of  Ages,  by  Harold  Bolce, 
Cosmopolitan,  May,  1909,  pp.  672,  673. 


i86  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

"The  consensus  of  college  teaching  is  that  marriage 
is  a  purely  civil  contract  which  should  be  terminable 
at  the  will  of  either  party,  and  that  the  church  should 
have  no  more  to  do  with  it  than  with  the  conveyance  of 
real  estate;  that  religion  should  be  no  more  permitted 
to  intervene  against  divorce  than  to  say  a  man  should 
not  have  the  legal  right  to  withdraw  money  deposited 
in  a  bank;  and  that  when  humanity  realises  the  true 
meaning  of  marriage,  the  home  will  cease  to  be  the 
domain  of  tyranny  and  fear.  Therefore  they  teach 
to  American  young  men  and  women  that  marriage 
is  not  decreed  by  God  and  that  no  commandments 
against  divorce  are  divine."' 

Mrs.  Humphry  Ward,  in  her  recent  novel, 
Marriage  dla  Mode,  says: 

"When  shall  we  see  some  real  comity  of  nations 
in  these  matters  of  international  marriage  and 
divorce.  How  ridiculous  and  intolerable  some  of  the 
situations  become.  No  woman  in  the  better  future 
that  is  coming  should  be  forced  either  by  law  or 
opinion  to  continue  the  relations  of  marriage  with  a 
man  she  has  come  to  despise.  Marriage  is  merely 
proclaimed  love,  and  if  love  fails,  marriage  has  no 
further  meaning  or  raison  d'Hre ;  it  comes,  or  should 
come,  automatically  to  an  end.  This  is  the  first 
article  in  the  woman's  character,  and  without  it 
marriage  has  neither  value  nor  sanctity." 

If  the  happiness  of  the  individual  is  the  sole 
object  of  marriage,  then  when  happiness  ceases 

'  Cosmopolitan,  August,  1909,  p.  314. 


Marriage  and  Divorce  187 

to  exist,  the  marriage  relation  should  be  dissolved. 
Marriage,  under  such  theory,  would  be  simply  a 
living  together  for  a  longer  or  shorter  period, 
according  to  the  wishes  of  the  parties. 

In  the  time  of  Christ,  this  view  of  marriage 
generally  prevailed,  and  the  result  was,  that  even 
the  philosophers  and  statesmen  discarded  their 
wives  with  impimity.  Cicero  repudiated  his 
wife  Terentia  that  he  might  obtain  a  coveted 
dowry  with  another;  and  he  discarded  the  latter 
because  she  did  not  lament  the  death  of  his 
daughter  by  the  former.  Cato  was  divorced 
from  his  wife  Attilia  after  she  had  borne  him  two 
children,  and  he  transferred  his  second  wife  to  his 
friend  Hortensius,  after  whose  death  he  again 
married  her.  Augustus  compelled  the  husband 
of  Livia  to  abandon  her  that  she  might  become 
his  wife. 

The  women  emulated  the  men  in  their  career  of 
divorces.  Martial  speaks  of  a  woman  who  had 
married  her  tenth  husband.  Juvenal  refers  to 
one  who  had  had  eight  husbands  in  five  years. 
St.  Jerome  declared  that  there  dwelt  in  Rome  a 
wife  who  had  married  her  twenty-third  husband, 
she  being  his  twenty-first  wife.  "There  is  not  a 
woman  left,"  said  Seneca,  "who  is  ashamed  of 
being  divorced,  now  that  the  most  distinguished 
ladies  count  their  years  not  by  the  consuls,  but  by 
their  husbands."' 

*  Our  Christian  Heritage,  by  James  Cardinal  Gibbons,  p.  357. 


i88         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Cessation  of  love  does  not  dissolve  the  marriage 
relation  between  husband  and  wife,  any  more  than 
the  cessation  of  love  dissolves  the  relation  of  parent 
and  child. 

If,  as  Milton  viewed  it,  marriage  is  simply  a 
partnership,  to  be  formed  at  the  pleasure  and  dis- 
solved at  the  will  of  the  parties,  then  the  sug- 
gestion of  Mr.  Francis  Thompson  may  soon  come 
true: 

"Whereas  from  our  present  via  media — facilitation 
of  divorce — can  only  result  the  era  when  the  young 
lady  in  reduced  circumstances  will  no  longer  turn 
governess,  but  will  be  open  to  engagement  as  wife  at  a 
reasonable  stipend."* 

Horace  Greeley  wisely  said: 

"I  am  perfectly  willing  to  see  all  social  experiments 
tried  that  any  earnest,  rational  being  deems  calcu- 
lated to  promote  the  well-being  of  the  human  family; 
but  I  insist  that  this  matter  of  marriage  and  divorce 
has  passed  beyond  the  reasonable  scope  of  experiment. 
The  ground  has  all  been  travelled  over  and  over: 
from  Indissoluble  Monogamic  Marriage  down  through 
Polygamy,  Concubinage,  easy  Divorce,  to  absolute 
free  love.  Mankind  have  tried  every  possible 
modification  and  shade  of  relation  between  man  and 
woman.  If  these  multiform,  protracted,  diversi- 
fied, infinitely  repeated  experiments  have  not  estab- 
lished the  superiority  of  the  union  of  one  man  to  one 
woman  for  life — in  short,  marriage — to  all  other  forms 

» SheUey,  p.  72. 


Marriage  and  Divorce  189 

of  sexual  relation,  then  history  is  a  deluding  mist,  and 
man  has  hitherto  lived  in  vain."^ 

Nothing  can  be  more  certain  than  the  fact  that 
Christ  distinctly  reaffirmed  the  Jehovian  view  of 
marriage,  as  reported  in  the  Book  of  Genesis,  and 
that  He  taught  that  in  the  sight  of  God,  marriage 
could  not  be  dissolved  except  possibly  on  one 
ground,  "fornication."  Nowhere  in  Christ's  teach- 
ings is  there  to  be  foimd  even  a  hint  which 
could  be  construed  to  sanction  divorce  on  any 
groimd  other  than  that  of  "fornication." 

It  is  the  Christian's  duty  to  accept  Christ's  teach- 
ing as  to  the  sacredness  of  marriage  and  its  indis- 
solubiHty,  except,  possibly,  on  the  ground  of  the 
adultery  of  one  of  the  parties,  and  to  do  his  utmost 
to  stem  the  growing  tide  of  easy  divorce  which, 
unless  checked,  will  lead  to  imiversal  free  love. 

"Casting  one's  eye  back  over  the  last  two  thou- 
sand years,  there  seems  to  have  been,  first,  a  plague 
of  divorce  in  later  pagan  Roman  days;  secondly,  a 
stamping  out  of  it  by  Christianity;  and  now,  thirdly, 
a  vehement  outbreak  occurring.  To  our  shame  and 
cost,  it  is  most  virulent  and  widespread  in  the  United 
States,  where,  despite  some  measures  already  taken 
to  check  the  evil,  it  seems  still  on  the  increase."" 

In  the  U.  S.  Census  Bulletin  No.  96  on  Marriage 

'  Recollections,  p.  580. 

» James  Cardinal  Gibbons,  "Divorce" — Century,  May,  1909, 

P-  145- 


190         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

and  Divorce,  the  following  startling  figures  are 
found: 

During  the  twenty  years,  from  1 887-1 906,  an 
average  of  one  marriage  in  twelve  terminated 
in  divorce.  Eliminating  the  Catholics,  who  are 
forbidden  by  their  Church  to  be  divorced,  out  of 
every  ten  marriages  of  non-Catholics,  one  ends  in 
divorce. 

"If  the  number  of  divorces  in  proportion  to  the 
population  had  been  the  same  in  1905  as  it  was  in 
1870,  the  number  of  absolute  divorces  reported  in  1905 
would  have  been  only  24,000,  whereas,  it  was,  in  fact, 
67,791.  In  1906,  the  actual  number  was  72,062, 
while  the  ratio  of  1870  would  have  resulted  in  only 
24,398." 

From  i860  to  1870,  there  were  i^  divorces  to 
1000  of  our  popidation. 
'^From  1870  to  1880,  there  were  2  divorces  to 
1000  of  our  population. 

From  1880  to  1890,  there  were  3  divorces  to 
1000  of  our  population. 

From  1890  to  1900,  there  were  4  divorces  to 
1000  of  our  population. 

In  1905  there  were  three  times  as  many  divorces 
in  proportion  to  the  population  as  there  were  in 
1870. 

The  rate  of  divorce  in  the  United  States  is 
twice  that  of  Switzerland,  thrice  that  of  France, 
five  times  that  of  the  German  Empire,  and  is 


Marriage  and  Divorce  191 

larger  than  the  combined  divorce  rate  of  Austria, 
Belgium,  Sweden,  Norway,  Netherlands,  Eng- 
land, Scotland,  Ireland,  Wales,  German  Empire, 
Italy,  and  the  Kingdom  of  Hungary. 

It  has  been  calculated  that,  if  the  movement  to- 
ward divorce  retains  its  present  velocity,  in 
forty  years  one  marriage  in  four  wiU  end  by  di- 
vorce, and  in  eighty  years  one  marriage  in  two 
will  terminate  in  the  divorce  courts. 

There  are  twenty-eight  different  grounds  for 
divorce  provided  by  the  laws  of  the  various 
States,  besides  an  undesignated  number  left 
to  the  discretion  of  the  Courts  of  the  State  of 
Washington. 

If  the  entrance  into  the  marriage  state  is  safe- 
guarded by  the  requirement  of  a  license  issued 
at  least  twenty-one  days  before  the  marriage 
ceremony,  and  by  a  bill  of  health  showing  that 
the  parties  are  free  from  infectious  and  inherit- 
able diseases,  and  the  door  to  its  dissolution  is 
closed,  to  be  opened  only  on  the  groimd  of  adul- 
tery, would  not  many  of  the  present-day  social 
evils  begin  to  pass  away? 

Hume,  the  historian  and  philosopher,  has 
written : 

"We  need  not  be  afraid  of  drawing  the  marriage 
knot  the  closest  possible.  The  amity  between  the 
persons,  where  it  is  solid  and  sincere,  will  rather  gain 
by  it,  and  where  it  is  wavering  and  uncertain,  it  will 
be   the   best    expedient   for   fixing   it.     How   many 


192  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

frivolous  quarrels  and  disgusts  are  there,  which  peo- 
ple of  common  prudence  endeavour  to  forget,  when 
they  lie  under  the  necessity  of  passing  their  lives 
together,  but  which  would  soon  be  inflamed  into  the 
most  deadly  hatred,  were  they  pursued  to  the  utter- 
most, under  the  prospect  of  an  easy  separation."' 

Gibbons,  the  historian,  has  said: 

"A  specious  theory  is  confuted  by  this  free  and 
perfect  experiment  [at  Rome],  which  demonstrated 
that  the  liberty  of  divorce  does  not  contribute  to 
happiness  and  virtue.  The  facility  of  separation 
would  destroy  all  mutual  confidence,  and  inflame 
every  trifling  dispute."^ 

In  the  old  English  case  of  Evans  vs.  Evans,  ^ 
Sir  William  Scott,  afterward  Lord  Stowell,  said: 

"It  must  be  carefully  remembered  that  the  general 
happiness  of  the  married  life  is  secured  by  its  indis- 
solubility. When  people  understand  that  they  must 
live  together,  except  for  a  very  few  reasons  known  to 
the  law,  they  learn  to  soften,  by  mutual  accommoda- 
tion, that  yoke  which  they  know  they  cannot  shake  off. 
They  become  good  husbands  and  good  wives,  for 
necessity  is  a  powerful  matter  in  teaching  the  duties 
it  imposes.  If  it  were  once  understood,  that  upon 
mutual  disgust  married  persons  might  become 
legally  separated,  many  couples  who  now  pass  through 
the  world  with  mutual  comfort,  with  attention  to 

'  Philos.  Works,  vol.  iii.,  p.  208,  Am.  Ed. 

'History  of  Rome,  vol.  v.,  chap.  44,  p.  55,  Bohn's  Ed. 

3  Cited  by  Coleridge  on  Blackstone,  p.  1440. 


Marriage  and  Divorce  193 

their  offspring,  and  to  the  moral  order  of  civil  society, 
might  have  been  at  this  moment  living  in  a  state  of 
mutual  unkindness,  in  a  state  of  most  licentious  and 
unreserved  immorality.  In  this  case  as  in  many 
others,  the  happiness  of  some  individuals  must  be 
sacrificed  to  the  greater  and  more  general  good." 

Separation. — Christ  forbids  the  dissolution  of 
the  marriage  contract  except  possibly  on  one 
ground.  He  does  not  directly  touch  on  the  ques- 
tion of  the  legal  or  voluntary  separation  of  the 
parties.  His  teachings  contain  no  prohibition 
against  voluntary  separation  in  ca^e  of  conjugal 
infeUcity,  and  no  demand  on  the  innocent  to 
sacrifice  health,  life,  or  children  for  the  sake  of 
maintaining  the  family  life  intact.  Indirectly, 
He  urged  that  when  association  and  environ- 
ment tend  to  narrow,  limit,  or  corrupt  human  life 
and  its  full  and  complete  development,  it  then 
becomes  the  duty  of  the  individual  to  get  away 
from  all  those  unholy  associations  and  debasing 
influences.  Cruel  and  inhuman  treatment,  chronic 
intemperance,  or  deliberate  desertion  are  some  of 
the  grounds  decreed  by  our  laws  as  justifying  legal 
separation,  and  no  teaching  of  Christ  comes  into 
conflict  with  them. 

Remedies  for  the  Divorce  Evil. — (i)  In 
addition  to  the  adoption  of  a  law  requiring  a 
twenty-one-day  license  and  a  physical  bill  of 
health  as  prerequisites  to  the  entrance  into  the 
marriage  state,  an  effort  should  be  made  to 
13 


194         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

embody  into  the  law  of  each  State  Christ's  teach- 
ing with  regard  to  divorce,  viz:  that  the  adultery 
of  one  of  the  parties  is  the  only  ground  for  the 
dissolution  of  the  marriage  contract. 

(2)  Education  for  the  young,  in  order  that 
they  may  appreciate  the  sacredness  of  the  marriage 
relation ;  the  necessity  for  preparation  for  this,  the 
most  momentous  step  in  life;  the  duties  arising 
out  of  this  status,  together  with  a  clear  conception 
of  the  social  responsibilities  resting  on  the  family. 
The  three  agencies  which  should  undertake  the 
education  of  the  young  with  respect  to  marriage 
are,  the  parents  in  the  home,  the  teachers  in  the 
schools,  and  the  clergymen  in  the  churches. 

(A)  Home  Training. — "The  preparation  which 
young  women  are  given  in  all  too  many  homes  is 
but  a  training  calculated  to  lead  in  the  shortest  time 
possible  from  the  marriage  altar  to  the  divorce 
court"  [writes  Rabbi  Krauskopf,  D.D.,  of  Philadel- 
phia, Pa.]. 

"With  too  many  parents  there  seems  to  be  little 
consciousness  that,  besides  a  body  to  hang  clothes 
upon,  and  besides  certain  social  accomplishments 
with  which  to  charm,  the  marriageable  daughter  has 
also  a  mind,  a  heart,  a  soul,  a  pair  of  hands,  that 
require  training  in  the  science  and  art  of  keeping  the 
husband  contented  and  happy  within  the  home  of  her 
sovereignty,  and  keeping  herself  contented  and  happy 
with  the  prize  she  has  won.  There  is  no  preparation 
for  the  needs  and  responsibilities  of  domestic  life, 
of  home  companionship,  of  economic  housekeeping. 


Marriage  and  Divorce  195 

There  is  no  knowledge  of  the  art  of  settling  down 
contentedly  and  happily  with  the  man  to  whom  she 
is  linked  for  life,  no  skill  in  harmonising  differences  of 
taste  and  temperament,  which  unharmonised  often 
prove  disastrous  to  early  married  life.  There  is  no 
love  implanted  for  the  sacred  joys  of  motherhood. 
There  is  no  knowledge  of  the  meaning  of  the  word 
'helpmate.'  There  is  no  conception  of  the  difficulties 
involved  in  earning  money,  seeing  how  lavishly  it  is 
being  expended  upon  her,  seeing  with  what  readiness 
her  every  demand  for  it  is  supplied. 

"There  is  probably  no  thought  which  occupies  a 
young  society  woman  more  than  the  thought  of  being 
married ;  there  is  probably  no  thought  which  occupies 
her  less  than  that  of  how  to  be  happy  when  married, 
or  how  to  make  her  husband  happy."  ^ 

The  present  teaching  in  many  American  homes 
is,  that  the  securing  of  wealth  and  social  position 
are  the  main  objects  of  marriage.  The  material 
advantages  which  may  be  secured  through  mar- 
riage are  deeply  impressed  on  the  minds  of  the 
young.  As  a  result  of  such  teaching,  marriage 
has  come  to  be  considered  as  merely  a  commercial 
contract,  and  that,  like  other  commercial  con- 
tracts, it  may  be  dissolved  by  mutual  consent,  or 
with  the  assistance  of  the  courts. 

Christ's  teaching  that  the  contract  of  marriage 
was  ordained  by  the  Almighty  to  unify  the  lives 
of  two  beings  of  opposite  sex  in  order  that  each 
may   develop   all   their   inherent   capacities   and 

*Am.  Journal  of  Sociology,  May,  1909,  p.  783. 


196         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

powers  and  thereby  enjoy  the  fullest  and  most 
complete  life,  should  be  the  basis  of  the  instruc- 
tion given.  The  child  should  be  taught  that  the 
chief  earthly  mission  of  both  man  and  woman  is  to 
fulfil  the  duties  arising  out  of  the  marriage  state; 
that  a  clean  and  pure  life  is  necessary  in  order 
that  the  grim  visage  of  disease  may  not  hover 
over  the  household,  destroying  health  and  bring- 
ing evil  to  all,  and  that  no  "sins  of  the  father 
...  be  visited  upon  the  children";  and  that,  as 
marriage  is  for  life,  each  party  to  the  marriage 
should  strive  with  all  the  powers  of  being  to  bring 
love,  peace,  and  concord  into  the  home.  They 
should  be  taught  to  look  upon  marriage  as  a 
coveted  privilege,  and  not  as  a  convenience,  a 
speculation,  or  a  diversion. 

(B)  Schools. — In  the  public  schools,  physi- 
ology should  be  taught  with  the  object  of  impress- 
ing upon  the  minds  of  the  children  the  importance 
of  health  as  being  the  chief  factor  of  a  life  of 
happiness,  and  as  a  duty  to  the  one  who  is  chosen 
as  a  life  partner,  and  also  for  the  sake  of  the 
children  which  may  issue  from  such  marriage. 

In  the  colleges,  the  sociological  courses  should 
banish  the  pernicious  teaching  so  prevalent  to-day, 
that  the  object  of  marriage  is  the  happiness  of  the 
individual  or  for  the  propagation  of  the  race,  and 
should  enthrone  Christ's  teaching  as  to  the  divine 
nature  of  the  marriage  contract,  indissoluble  ex- 
cept on  the  groimd  of  adultery. 


Marriage  and  Divorce  197 

(C)  Churches. — From  the  pulpit  and  in  the 
Sunday-school,  the  pastor  should  teach  the 
Christian  view  of  marriage  until  every  man, 
woman,  and  child  connected  with  the  church  has 
obtained  a  clear  knowledge  of  Christ's  teaching. 
Further,  the  clergyman  should  be  outspoken  in 
his  condemnation  of  easy  divorce  and  the  un- 
christian marriage  of  parties  divorced  on  grounds 
other  than  that  of  adultery,  and  should  refuse  to 
re-marry  the  guilty  party  in  a  divorce  action  or 
the  innocent  party  who  has  obtained  a  divorce 
on  any  ground  other  than  the  adultery  of  the 
former  consort. 

(3)  Since  184,568  divorces,  or  nearly  twenty 
per  cent,  of  the  entire  number  reported  in  the 
United  States  from  1 887-1 906,  were  granted  be- 
cause of  the  intemperance  of  one  of  the  parties,  the 
necessity  of  the  spread  of  the  doctrines  of  tem- 
perance is  plainly  apparent. 

No  fair  and  complete  trial  of  Christ's  teachings 
with  regard  to  marriage  and  divorce  has  been 
given.  The  doing  of  good  to  others  as  the  chief 
motive  in  life  has  been  tried  only  by  a  few  saints 
scattered  through  the  ages,  so  that  only  in  rare 
instances  has  married  life  been  lived  on  the  high 
plane  advocated  by  the  Master. 


CRIME  AND  THE  CRIMINAL 


199 


CRIME  AND  THE  CRIMINAL 

"Then  shall  the  King  say  unto  them  .  .  .  Come, 
ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom  pre- 
pared for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the  world: 

"For  ...  I  was  in  prison  and  ye  came  unto  me. 

"Then  shall  the  righteous  answer  him,  saying, 
Lord,  when  saw  we  thee  ...  in  prison,  and  came 
unto  thee? 

"And  the  King  shall  answer  and  say  unto  them, 
Verily  I  say  unto  you.  Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it 
unto  one  of  the  least  of  these  my  brethren,  ye  have 
done  it  unto  me."^ 

By  these  words,  Christ  identified  Himself  with 
every  prisoner.  He  proclaimed  to  the  world  the 
fact  that  in  every  human  being  there  exist  divine 
possibilities,  no  matter  how  low  one  may  have 
sunk  in  degradation.  No  crime  committed  by  an 
individual  could  be  so  heinous,  no  life  so  evil  as 
to  blot  out  the  divine  goodness  implanted  in  the 
human  soul.  Though  the  prodigal  son  had  wan- 
dered far  from  his  father's  house  and  had  wasted 
his  life  and  spent  his  substance  in  riotous  living, 
he  was  still  the  son  of  his  father  and  had  ever 
awaiting  him  a  joyous  welcome  on  his  return  home. 

Christ   taught   that  in  each  individual  there 

*  Matt,  xrv:  34-40. 

201 


202         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

exist  good  and  evil,  and  that  the  sinner  or  the  crimi- 
nal (sin  and  crime  being  violations  of  law — sin  the 
violation  of  the  law  of  God,  and  crime  the  violation 
of  the  law  of  the  state)  is  but  the  natural  product 
of  the  continual  development  of  the  evil,  while  the 
good  remained  dormant. 

To  the  woman  who  was  taken  in  adultery  and 
brought  to  Him  for  judgment,  Christ,  after  look- 
ing over  her  past  life  and  weighing  the  effect  of  the 
evil  environment,  bad  education,  and  dire  temp- 
tations, as  against  the  pure  influences,  good 
companionship,  and  high  ideals  which  had  been 
vouchsafed  to  her,  said:  "Neither  do  I  condemn 
thee."  Coming  into  her  life  when  her  feelings 
were  stirred  to  their  very  depths  by  the  public 
accusation  and  denoimcement,  and  finding  that 
the  better  angels  of  her  nature  were  beginning  to 
emerge  from  within  the  chambers  of  her  soul 
where  they  had  been  confined  by  the  demons  of 
evil  heretofore  ruling  her  life,  Christ  tenderly  and 
lovingly  gave  her  this  parting  coimcil:  "Go  and 
sin  no  more." 

Christ's  teachings  clearly  indicate  that  He  be- 
lieved that  if  the  life  of  the  individual  was  evil,  it 
was  because  the  good  had  not  been  evolved ;  and 
that  if  the  good  were  awakened  and  a  high  ideal 
implanted,  the  good  would  gradually  overcome 
the  evil,  and  thereby  transform  the  life. 

As  the  evening  shadows  gathered  about  the  three 
crosses  which   upheld   the  dying    forms    of   the 


Crime  and  the  Criminal  203 

Saviour  and  the  two  criminals,  the  jeering  voices 
of  the  rabble  were  swelled  by  the  voice  of  one  of 
the  expiring  thieves  reviling  the  Man  of  Sorrows 
hanging  beside  him.  Instantly  the  other  criminal, 
whose  heart  had  been  touched  by  Him  who  was 
called  "King  of  the  Jews,"  rebuked  his  comrade, 
saying:  "Dost  not  thou  fear  God,  seeing  thou 
art  in  the  same  condemnation?  And  we  indeed 
justly;  for  we  receive  the  due  reward  of  our  deed; 
but  this  man  hath  done  nothing  amiss." 

Having  come  under  the  enthralling  charm  of 
Christ,  this  man  realised  that  there  was  a  better 
way  of  living  than  the  one  he  had  known,  and 
there  was  bom  within  him  a  desire  to  turn  away 
from  his  old  sinful  Hfe  and  to  enter  upon  a  new 
and  higher  one;  and  the  dying  penitent  said  unto 
Jesus,  "Lord,  remember  me  when  thou  comest 
unto  thy  kingdom." 

Christ,  knowing  that  the  convicted  criminal  had 
had  aroused  within  him  the  good  which  had  lain 
dormant  for  so  many  years  and  that  a  new  ideal 
of  life  was  blazing  in  his  mind,  pronounced  the 
words  which  gave  the  man  a  new  hope:  "Verily 
I  say  unto  thee.  To-day  shalt  thou  be  with  me  in 
paradise."' 

From  that  moment,  coimtless  men  and  women 
living  in  sin  and  crime  and  to  whom  there  has 
come  a  vision  of  Christ,  awakening  the  good 
and   pointing  out  a  better  way  of  living,  have 

*  Luke  xxii:  39-43. 


204         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

had  their  aspirations  ennobled,  their  characters 
changed,  and  their  Hves  transformed. 

Christ  drew  a  sharp  distinction  between  the  sin 
and  the  sinner.  He  ever  with  mighty  power  con- 
demned the  sin,  and  His  teachings  are  as  a  power- 
ful magnifying  glass  through  which  the  corroding 
effects  and  the  blighting  influence  of  sin  upon 
character  and  life  are  made  visible  to  all.  But 
the  individual  sinner  was  always  treated  as  an 
erring  child  who  needed  light  and  help,  and  who 
might  be  loved  into  repentance  and  won  from 
his  evil  ways  by  the  example  and  companionship 
of  a  devoted  friend. 

Few  individuals  have  lived  without  having  com- 
mitted some  crime.  Our  prisons  contain  only  the 
criminals  who  have  been  caught,  tried,  and  con- 
victed, and,  according  to  the  teachings  of  Christ, 
they  are,  in  the  sight  of  the  Almighty,  no  more 
guilty  than  are  those  outside  of  prison  walls  who 
have  committed  a  crime  and  have  escaped  detec- 
tion. 

Mrs.  Maud  Ballington  Booth  has  written: 

"Prison  communities  come  from  no  uncivilised 
island  where  they  form  a  different  species  of  the 
human  family,  nor  are  they  drawn  from  one  section 
of  the  population  confined  to  the  slums.  They  are 
from  the  great,  wide  world  at  large.  Some  have  had 
homes  of  ease  and  comfort,  and  have  been  educated 
in  our  finest  colleges  and  schools.  Society  gives  its 
quota,  so  does  the  great  world  of  the  common  people, 


Crime  and  the  Criminal  205 

while  yet  others  come  from  homes  of  poverty  and 
some  from  no  homes  at  all.  There  are  the  educated 
and  the  ignorant,  the  rich  and  the  poor,  the  indus- 
trious and  the  idle,  the  brilliant  and  the  poorly 
endowed.  .  .  .  Another  gross  misconception  is  the 
belief  that  all  men  in  prison  are  dishonest.  People 
forget  how  many  and  devious  are  the  causes  for 
which  men  can  be  imprisoned.  Sometimes  [says 
Mrs.  Booth]  when  I  have  asked  a  business  man  to 
employ  one  of  our  'boys*  the  answer  has  been:  'I 
am  in  sympathy  with  your  work  and  pity  these  poor 
fellows,  but  in  my  business  I  dare  not  do  it  as  there 
would  be  opportunities  to  steal  and  it  would  not  be 
right  to  those  whose  interests  I  must  protect.'  This 
has  shown  to  me  how  constantly  the  thought  of  theft 
and  robbery  is  associated  with  all  who  come  from 
prison.  There  are  many  within  the  walls  who  have 
never  misappropriated  a  cent.  This  does  not  mean 
they  are  guiltless,  for  their  crime  may  have  very 
justly  brought  them  to  conviction,  but  there  is  no 
reason  to  imagine  that  because  of  that  punishment 
they  must  be  ranked  as  dishonest."  * 

Well  might  it  be  for  the  person  who  thinks  of 
condemning  instead  of  helping  the  unfortunates 
who  are  confined  within  prison  walls  or  who  have 
been  discharged  after  serving  their  sentence  to 
remember  the  words  of  Gen.  R.  Brinkerhoff ; 

"They  [prisoners]  are  creatures  of  circumstance. 
They  are  like  all  the  rest  of  us.  Has  there  never 
been  a  time  in  your  history,  in  your  hot  youth,  when, 

*  After  Prison — What?  pp.  i6,  17. 


2o6         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

if  the  law  had  been  enforced  against  you,  you  might 
have  been  landed  in  this  or  some  other  jail?  If  there 
is  such  a  man,  who  has  passed  middle  life,  I  should 
like  to  see  him.  We  are  all  miserable  creatures, 
except  by  the  grace  of  God.  As  John  Newton  said, 
when  he  saw  a  man  on  his  way  to  be  hung,  'There 
goes  John  Newton,  except  for  the  grace  of  God.'"^ 

Then  let  him  remember  Christ's  rebuke  to  the 
men  who  were  urging  the  punishment  of  the  woman 
taken  in  adultery:  "He  that  is  without  sin  among 
you,  let  him  first  cast  a  stone  at  her."' 

The  attitude  an  individual  should  take  toward 
a  criminal  who  has  wronged  him  is  summed  up 
in  the  following  words  of  Christ: 

"Ye  have  heard  that  it  hath  been  said,  Thou  shalt 
love  thy  neighbour  and  hate  thine  enemy.  But  I  say 
unto  you.  Love  your  enemies,  bless  them  that  curse 
you,  do  good  to  them  that  hate  you,  and  pray  for 
them  which  despitefully  use  you,  and  persecute  you; 
that  ye  may  be  the  children  of  yotu"  Father  which  is 
in  heaven."  ^ 

If  the  individual  may  not  hate  the  man  who 
robs  him,  neither  may  society  hate  the  man  who 
robs  society.  There  is  only  one  Christian  law  of 
human  conduct;  therefore,  the  attitude  of  society 
should  be  the  same  as  is  the  attitude  of  the  in- 
dividual, for  society  is  but  an  aggregation  of 
individuals. 

^  National  Prison  Ass'n  Report,  1889,  p.  45. 

'  John  viii.,  7.  3  Matt,  v.,  43-45. 


Crime  and  the  Criminal  207 

The  authority  to  measure  justice  in  providing 
punishment  for  the  criminal  is  not  only  not  con- 
ferred on  the  individual,  but  is  emphatically 
denied  to  him;  "judge  not,"  is  the  command  of 
Christ. 

To  assume  the  seat  of  judgment  is  to  assume  a 
function  which  belongs  only  to  the  all-seeing 
and  all-knowing  Jehovah.  No  human  being  has 
sufficient  knowledge  or  capacity  to  exercise  this 
ftmction. 

How  can  a  judge  know  enough  of  the  prisoner 
to  enable  him  to  pronoimce  a  just  sentence?  How 
can  he  know  the  inherited  traits  of  the  prisoner, 
his  early  training,  his  environment,  his  education, 
his  temptations,  and  the  mixed  motives  of  good  and 
evil  which  prompted  him  to  commit  the  crime? 

Count  Leon  Tolstoi  has  written: 

"In  every  act  we  find  a  certain  amount  of  liberty 
and  a  certain  amount  of  necessity. 

"The  greater  the  amount  of  liberty,  the  less  the 
amount  of  necessity,  and  conversely.  .  .  . 

"A  drowning  man  who  clutches  another  and  drags 
him  down  to  death,  a  starving  mother  who  steals 
food  that  her  child  may  have  nourishment,  a  soldier 
in  the  ranks,  trained  to  respect  discipline,  who  kills 
an  unarmed  man  at  the  order  of  a  superior, — are  all 
less  guilty — that  is,  less  free  and  more  subject  to  the 
law  of  necessity,  the  more  clearly  we  understand  the 
conditions  under  which  they  acted;  they  are  more 
guilty — that  is,  more  free,  the  more  firmly  we  believe 
that  the  man  who  dragged  the  other  down  was  not 


2o8  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

drowning,  that  the  mother  was  not  starving,  and 
that  the  soldier  was  not  in  the  ranks.  .  .  . 

"The  act  of  an  insane  person,  of  a  drunkard,  of  a 
fanatic,  seems  to  be  less  free  and  more  obedient  to 
necessity  to  one  who  knows  the  conditions,  and  more 
free,  less  obedient  to  necessity,  to  one  ignorant  of 
the  facts. 

"In  every  case,  the  idea  of  liberty  increases  or 
diminishes  according  to  the  point  of  view  from  which 
the  act  is  examined."' 

The  sentences  pronounced  by  the  various 
judges  of  our  courts  on  the  conviction  of  prisoners 
for  the  commission  of  the  same  crime  under 
practically  the  same  circumstances,  with  a  view  to 
apportioning  the  penalties  in  accordance  with  the 
demerit  of  the  convicted  offenders,  vary  so  greatly, 
that  a  record  of  the  sentences  pronounced  plainly 
indicates  the  impossibility  of  rendering  a  correct 
and  just  judgment.  From  the  viewpoint  of  fair- 
ness and  justice,  the  sentences  pronounced  by  our 
judges  are  a  standing  disgrace  in  this  day  of  our 
boasted  civilisation.  Practical  experience  teaches 
the  wisdom  of  the  command  of  Christ,  that  we 
"judge  not"  one  another. 

The  attitude  of  the  individual  toward  the 
criminal  should  be  of  a  threefold  character: 

(i)  He  should  recognise  the  fact  that  there 
exist  good  and  evil  within  the  criminal,  that  the 
man  became  a  criminal  because  the  evil  had  been 

'  Power  and  Liberty,  pp.  96-98. 


Crime  and  the  Criminal  209 

developed  and  the  good  had  remained  dormant, 
and  that  the  criminal  is  his  brother. 

(2)  He  shotdd  condemn  the  crime  which  had 
been  committed. 

(3)  He  should  try  to  bring  the  criminal  to  a 
reaHsation  of  the  kind  of  life  he  is  living  and  to 
awaken  the  better  angels  of  his  nature  by  im- 
planting within  him  a  new  and  higher  aim  in  life. 

The  attitude  of  the  state  toward  the  criminal 
should  be  the  same  as  the  attitude  of  the  in- 
dividual. It  should  put  aside,  as  unjust  and  un- 
fair, the  imchristian  theory  that  the  object  of 
pimishment  is  to  inflict  upon  the  prisoner  a  suffering 
equal  in  severity  to  the  injury  resulting  from  the 
crime  committed  in  order  to  satisfy  the  sense  of 
social  retributive  justice;  and,  by  legislation  and 
practice,  should  condemn  the  dictum  of  Sir  James 
Stephen,  who  wrote; 

"I  think  it  highly  desirable  that  criminals  should 
be  hated;  that  the  punishment  inflicted  upon  them 
shovild  be  so  contrived  as  to  give  expression  of  the 
hatred,  and  to  satisfy  it,  so  far  as  the  public  provision 
of  means  for  expressing  and  gratifying  a  natural 
healthy  sentiment  can  justify  and  encourage  it."* 

The  state  should  likewise  abandon  that  outworn 
and  vmworkable  theory  that  it  can  find  protection 
for  itself  only  by  inflicting  punishments  of  great 
severity,  and  should  realise  that  experience  has 

'  History  of  Criminal  Laws,  vol.  ii.,  chap.  17,  p.  82. 
14 


210         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

fully  demonstrated  the  truth  of  the  old  maxim: 
"Crime  thrives  upon  severe  penalties." 

Beccaria,  in  reviewing  the  effects  of  this 
principle,  has  written: 

"The  countries  and  times  most  notorious  for 
severity  of  punishment  were  always  those  in  which 
the  most  bloody  and  inhuman  actions  and  the  most 
atrocious  crimes  were  committed.  In  proportion  as 
punishment  became  more  cruel,  the  minds  of  men 
grew  hardened  and  insensible."^ 

It  should  recognise  the  law  formulated  by 
science:  "That  society  must  seciu*e  protection 
from  crime  and  the  social  diseases  of  criminality 
by  treatment  of  individual  criminals,"'  and  not 
by  the  mere  infliction  of  punishment. 

Finally,  it  should  recognise  the  fact  that  under- 
neath every  prison  garb  is  the  marred  image  of 
Deity,  and  should  seek  at  all  times,  to  reform 
and  transform  the  life  of  the  prisoner,  so  that 
from  an  anti-social  being  he  may  become  a  well- 
rounded,  strong,  valuable  citizen. 

The  effect  of  the  present  methods  of  protecting 
the  social  welfare  is  summed  up  by  Col.  Vincent 
M.  Masten,  Military  Instructor  of  the  New  York 
State  Reformatory,  Elmira,  N.  Y.,  in  these  words: 
"Not  one  studious  penologist  in  the  land  can  be 
induced  to  place  the  stamp  of  approval  upon  the 

'  Essays  on  Crime  and  Punishment,  p.  94. 

'  The  Science  of  Penology,  by  Henry  M.  Boies,  p.  40. 


Crime  and  the  Criminal  211 

manner  in  which  we  sentence,  classify,  detain,  and 
institutionally  educate  and  train  law-breakers."' 

The  justness  of  this  criticism  is  demonstrated  by 
the  constant  re-arrest  and  re-conviction  of  crimi- 
nals and  the  large  proportion  of  recidivists  al- 
ways temporarily  in  confinement,  which  are 
estimated  by  Dr.  Drahms  to  be  over  fifty  per 
cent,  of  all  convicts,*  while  it  is  estimated  by 
Henry  M.  Boies  that  "ninety  per  cent,  of  the 
convicts  discharged  from  prison  return  to  criminal 
lives.  "3 

Dr.  Drahms  has  drawn  up  the  following  in- 
dictment against  the  present  method  of  treating 
prisoners: 

"The  prison  from  every  point  of  view  is  the  chief 
ostensible  promoter  of  every  ill  it  essays  to  cure.  .  .  . 
It  succeeds  in  turning  out  more  direct  results  in  the 
shape  of  confirmed  criminals,  hardened  to  the  con- 
templation of  theoretic  vice  in  all  its  forms  and 
degrees,  ready  to  put  their  knowledge  into  practice, 
than  any  other  accredited  agency  within  the  range 
of  experience  or  devised  by  the  folly  of  man."'^ 

The  following  plans  for  the  reformation  of 
criminals  are  suggested  as  being  directly  in  line 
with  the  teachings  of  Christ. 

Juvenile  Court. — Hon.  Ben.  B.  Lindsey  says: 

*  Introduction  to  The  Crime  Problem. 

*  The  Criminal,  pp.  240  et  seq. 

3  The  Science  oj  Penology,  p.  126.  <  The  Criminal,  p.  193. 


212         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

"In  my  judgment  there  are  100,000  children, 
dependent  and  delinquent,  coming  to  the  courts  of 
this  country  every  year,  and  within  the  period  of 
sixteen  years  that  means  1,600,000  children  coming 
to  the  courts  of  this  nation  in  every  generation  of 
childhood."^ 

The  fact  that  such  a  large  number  of  children 
are  brought  annually  before  the  courts  of  our 
country,  warrants  the  establishment  of  special 
courts  in  which  only  juvenile  offenders  are  tried. 
The  old-time  practice  of  forcing  juvenile  offenders 
into  contact  with  hardened  professional  criminals 
should  be  stopped,  for  the  minds  of  the  young  are 
apt  to  be  corrupted  by  intercourse  with  the  old 
offenders. 

*:  The  juvenile  court  should  rest  upon  the  follow- 
ing principles: 

*  First. — That  a  child  is  the  most  valuable  asset 
in  the  world.  Christ  declared:  "It  is  not  the 
will  of  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven,  that  one  of 
these  little  ones  should  perish." ' 

Second. — That  it  is  not  the  duty  of  the  state  to 
administer  to  a  child  a  punishment  proportioned 
to  the  supposed  magnitude  of  the  offence  com- 
mitted; but  rather  to  seek  to  discover  the  causes 
which  induced  the  child  to  commit  the  wrongful 
act,  and  to  endeavour  to  remove  such  influences 
from    his  Hfe   and  to    direct   his  footsteps   into 

»  National  Child  Labour  Committee,  Pamphlet  No.  loi,  p.  15. 
*  Matt,  xviii.,  14. 


Crime  and  the  Criminal  213 

paths  which  will  lead  to  upright  living  and  worthy 
citizenship. 

The  procedure  of  the  juvenile  courts  should  be 
directly  opposite  to  that  in  vogue  at  the  present 
time  in  the  poUce  courts  throughout  the  country. 
The  attitude  of  the  judge  should  be  that  of  an 
admonishing  father  whose  main  piupose  should 
be  to  awaken  in  the  mind  of  the  juvenile  a  sense  of 
the  wrong  committed,  to  enlighten  him  as  to  the 
attitude  of  society  toward  a  criminal,  and  to  indi- 
cate a  better  way  of  Hving. 

Instead  of  sending  the  culprit  to  prison,  the 
judge  should  put  the  child  on  good  behaviour  and 
place  him  under  the  care  of  a  volimtary  or  paid 
parole  officer  to  whom  the  child  should  be  directed 
to  report  at  stated  times  for  a  definite  period. 
Such  officer  should  act  as  the  confidential  friend 
and  adviser  of  the  offender  as  well  as  the  agent  of 
the  law.  If,  after  the  expiration  of  the  time  fixed 
for  probation,  signs  of  reformation  have  been  dis- 
covered and  the  parole  officer  recommends  the 
offender's  discharge,  he  should  be  discharged  from 
custody  and  all  record  of  his  arrest  and  probation 
should  be  blotted  out. 

The  imprisonment  of  juvenile  offenders  works 
a  positive  injury,  rather  than  proves  a  reformative 
agency,  in  that  it  breaks  down  the  self-respect 
of  the  prisoner,  and  inflicts  a  life-long  stigma 
on  his  character,  and  therefore  should  not  be 
permitted. 


214         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

"Go  and  sin  no  more"  should  be  the  advice  of 
the  judge,  as  it  was  the  advice  of  Christ  to  the 
unfortunate  woman. 

Probation  for  Adults. — "It  is  a  common- 
place of  morals,  that,  in  the  path  of  evil,  it  is 
the  first  step  that  counts  the  most."  In  taking 
the  first  lawless  step,  the  unfortunate  may  have 
only  responded  to  bad  external  influences,  which 
arose  from  immoral  environment  or  evil  com- 
panionship. In  a  moment  of  weakness,  the  man 
may  have  committed  some  minor  offence  against 
the  law,  such  as  drunkenness,  comer-lounging, 
etc.  The  arresting  of  the  offender  and  bringing 
him  before  a  judge  to  have  his  offence  rehearsed 
often  arouses  such  a  feeling  of  shame  and  mortifi- 
cation and  awakens  such  a  keen  realisation  of 
what  the  course  of  life  entered  upon  really  leads 
to,  that  it  proves  a  sufficient  punishment  and  does 
more  good  than  could  be  obtained  by  any  sub- 
sequent incarceration. 

A  man  who  has  been  arrested  for  the  first  time 
and  brought  before  a  court  for  trial,  is  usually 
in  a  condition  and  state  of  mind  to  be  deeply  in- 
fluenced. He  has  been  stopped  in  the  beginning 
of  crime  and  is  compelled  to  give  serious  thought 
to  his  course  of  life  as  he  stands  disgraced  before 
the  community.  This  is  the  time  for  bringing 
him  to  future  right  living  by  giving  him  a  chance 
to  redeem  himself. 

To  sentence  to  prison  such  offenders  against 


Crime  and  the  Criminal  215 

the  minor  provisions  of  the  criminal  law  and  to 
submit  them  to  the  daily  humiliation  of  the  life 
in  a  cell,  to  the  undermining  companionship  of 
fellow-creatures  hardened  in  crime,  and  to  the 
degradation  of  ever  after  being  branded  with 
the  prison  stigma,  is  to  place  such  persons  in 
the  path  which  leads  to  a  criminal  career.  M. 
Lalone,  Inspector-General  of  Prisons  in  France, 
stated  before  a  commission:  "that  with  our 
existing  system,  twenty-four  hours'  imprisonment 
suffices  under  certain  circumstances  to  ruin  a 
man.  I  do  not  exaggerate.  I  say  what  I  have 
seen.  The  prisoner  meets  a  corrupt  recidivist, 
they  appoint  a  rendezvous  outside,  and  that  man 
is  lost."*  The  truth  of  this  statement  is  borne 
out  by  the  testimony  of  American  penologists. 

On  the  other  hand,  to  take  such  persons  at  the 
moment  sentence  is  pronotmced  and  to  place 
them  in  the  custody  of  probation  officers  who 
would  guide  them  away  from  those  influences 
which  caused  their  downfall  and  direct  their  at- 
tention to  the  importance  of  their  reformation  as  a 
prerequisite  to  their  future  freedom,  would,  in 
most  cases,  have  the  tendency  to  start  the  of- 
fender on  a  new  life  which  woiild  ultimately  lead 
to  worthy  citizenship. 

The  system  of  adult  probation  is  not  an  ex- 
periment. Eight  States  now  make  use  of  it, 
viz.,    California,    Connecticut    (for   offences   not 

»  Quoted  from  Science  of  Penology,  by  Henry  M.  Boies,  p.  251. 


2i6         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

punishable  in  the  State  prison),  Maine  (as  to 
Cumberland  County,  including  the  city  of 
Portland),  Massachusetts,  Michigan,  New  Jersey, 
New  York,  and  Vermont. 

The  report  of  the  Senate  Committee  for  the 
District  of  Columbia,  April  25,  1908,  gives  the 
following  statistics: 

"Massachusetts  has  operated  a  probation  system 
for  adults  since  1878.  In  New  York  this  method  of 
dealing  with  criminals  was  tried  by  various  courts 
until  in  1900  the  Cotut  of  Special  Sessions  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  first  division  [the  old  city  of  New 
York],  organised  it  on  the  basis  generally  adopted  by 
the  Legislature  in  1906;  in  Maryland,  the  Commis- 
sion on  Indeterminate  Sentence,  appointed  under  the 
law  of  1906,  recently  reported  in  favour  of  extending 
probation  to  adults  throughout  the  State.   .  .  . 

"In  the  States  named  many  thousands  of  prisoners 
have  been  freed  according  to  this  process.  In  no 
case  which  has  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  com- 
mittee have  more  than  16  per  cent,  of  those  set  free 
failed  to  fulfil  the  conditions  of  good  conduct  laid 
down  by  the  probation  or  parole  commission.  In 
most  cases  the  percentage  has  been  much  lower, 
that  for  the  city  of  New  York  being  less  than  6  per 
cent.  Of  the  number  thus  reported  not  all  have 
been  guilty  of  new  offences,  re-arrest  or  re-commit- 
ment being  ordered  in  many  cases  because  the  subject 
gives  no  indication  of  progress. 

"A  report  on  the  operation  of  the  plan  in  New 
York  City  has  been  submitted  to  the  justices  of  the 


Crime  and  the  Criminal  217 

Court  of  Special  Sessions,  first  division,  tinder  date  of 
March  6,  1908,  by  Justices  Willard  H.  Olmstead 
and  Joseph  M.  Deuel.  After  noting  that  84  per 
cent,  of  all  juvenile  prisoners  have  been  supervised 
by  probation  officers  since  1902  and  that  in  5,545 
cases  out  of  a  total  of  6,579  the  system  has  worked 
with  apparently  complete  success,  the  report  says: 

"'During  the  past  seven  years  4,896  cases  (adult) 
were  investigated  by  the  probation  officers  of  this 
Court  and  2,231  offenders  placed  on  parole.  Less 
than  6  per  cent,  of  this  number  violated  their  parole. 
The  percentage  of  salvage  in  the  case  of  women  pro- 
bationers was  even  greater.  Two  himdred  and 
eighty-eight  convicted  women  had  their  cases  investi- 
gated. Of  these,  140  were  placed  on  probation, 
with  unsatisfactory  results  in  but  six  cases.  Thus 
have  2,050  persons  convicted  of  crime,  instead  of 
being  sent  to  penal  institutions,  been  reclaimed  to 
useftd  pursuits  and  purposes,  and  instead  of  being 
a  burden  on  the  taxpayers  have  become  useful  mem- 
bers of  the  community,  producers,  a  help  to  society 
instead  of  a  burden  and  a  future  menace.  What 
this  may  mean  in  mere  dollars  it  would  be  hard  to 
estimate — the  figures  would  be  enormous.'  "* 

When  considering  the  advisability  of  placing 
first  offenders  on  probation,  our  judges  should 
remember  the  words  of  Hon.  Carlton  T.  Lewis: 
"We  are  dealing  not  with  acts,  but  with  actors; 
not  with  deeds,  but  with  men;  not  with  abstrac- 
tions, but  with  human  hearts,  minds,  and  lives." 

»  Bill  to  Establish  a  Probation  Commission,  in  Senate  Report 
No.  569. 


2i8         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Prisons. — That  prisons  are  essential  for  the 
reformation  of  the  criminal  is  a  fact  plainly  indi- 
cated in  Christ's  picture  of  the  last  judgment.  As 
one  of  the  tests  of  Christianity,  Christ  gave  that 
of  visiting  the  convicts  in  prison.  He  never  ad- 
vocated the  abolishment  of  prisons,  but  stated 
that  to  the  end  of  time.  His  followers  would  visit 
prisons  and  seek  to  reclaim  those  who  were  there- 
in confined. 

The  prison  should  be  a  place,  not  where  the 
prisoner's  life  is  cramped  and  narrowed,  not  where 
he  is  cowed  and  subdued,  not  where  his  health  is 
impaired  or  destroyed,  but  rather  where  he  may 
be  developed — physically,  mentally,  morally,  and 
spiritually, — and  where  his  wrong  education  may 
be  corrected,  his  capabilities  unfolded,  his  ideals 
ennobled,  and  his  character  re-created.  It 
should  be  designed,  not  as  a  place  of  punishment, 
as  is  the  case  to-day,  but  rather  as  a  hospital, 
workshop,  and  intellectual  and  religious  training- 
school  where  the  reformation  of  the  convict  may 
be  effected. 

(A)  Building.  The  prison  buildings  of  the 
State  of  New  York  are  a  specimen  of  those  existing 
throughout  the  United  States,  with  some  few  not- 
able exceptions.  The  average  prison  cell  is  about 
seven  feet  long,  three  and  one-half  feet  wide,  and 
seven  feet  high,  ventilation  being  supplied  through 
a  narrow  latticed  door,  leading  into  a  corridor  con- 
taining windows  which  when  open  admit  fresh  air. 


Crime  and  the  Criminal  219 

Mr.  C.  V.  Collins,  Superintendent  of  New  York 
State  prisons,  in  a  communication  to  the  Finance 
Committee  of  the  Senate  on  April  17,  1909,  said: 
"There  are  at  present  1853  convicts  in  Sing  Sing, 
crowded  into  1200  cells.  The  cells  average  only- 
three  feet  six  inches  by  six  feet  six  inches  in  floor 
area,  and  in  some  of  the  cells  three  men  are 
confined." 

The  effect  on  the  health  and  spirits  of  the 
prisoners  by  their  confinement  in  such  small, 
poorly  ventilated  cells  is  most  dejjressing.  In  the 
hot,  mugg^'',  summer  days  the  prisoner  finds  life 
almost  unbearable.  Supt.  C.  V.  Collins,  in  his 
Annual  Report,   issued  in  January,    1909,   said: 

"The  religious  services  in  the  prison  chapels  are 
over  at  ten  o'clock  on  Sunday  morning,  and  the 
prisoners  are  then  locked  in  their  cells  to  remain  until 
the  next  morning.  This  has  always  been  the  custom. 
The  baneful  effect  on  the  prisoners  of  such  prolonged 
detention  in  the  small  cells  is  very  apparent  on  Mon- 
day. Some  of  the  men  are  irritable,  some  are  sullen, 
and  others  are  despondent. 

"Prison  officers  agree  that  Monday  is  for  them  the 
most  trying  day  of  the  week.  A  custom  that  pro- 
duces these  results  lessens  the  effect  of  the  reformatory 
measures  by  which  it  is  sought  to  correct  the  prisoner, 
and  causes  a  weekly  reaction  in  the  progress  of  the 
rehabilitating  influence  of  the  prison  system." 

Such  prison  cells  have  the  undeniable  effect  of 
hardening  the  prisoner's  heart  and  of  making  him 


220         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

a  determined  enemy  of  the  society  which  sent 
him  to  live  in  such  quarters. 

Cleanliness  and  sunlight  are  coming  to  be 
recognised  as  pronounced  reformative  agencies. 
Unless  the  moroseness,  the  suUenness,  the  dark 
vengefulness  which  envelop  many  of  the  prisoners 
are  impregnated  with  pure  air  and  bright  sunlight 
very  little  will  be  accomplished  in  the  work  of 
awakening  the  good  within  and  in  implanting  new 
ideals  of  life. 

(B)  Examination. — ^A  careful  physical,  men- 
tal, and  moral  examination  should  be  made  of 
every  prisoner  upon  his  entrance  into  the  prison, 
as  well  as  an  investigation  into  his  past  history 
and  the  causes  which  led  him  to  commit  the  crime 
which  brought  him  into  the  prison.  To  endeavour 
to  regenerate  human  derelicts  by  applying  a 
stock  remedy  to  all  cases  is  as  likely  to  be  pro- 
ductive of  good  results  as  would  be  the  giving  of 
the  same  remedy  to  all  patients  in  a  hospital 
without  reference  to  their  special  diseases.  Christ 
at  Jacob's  well,  before  giving  advice  to  the  sin- 
ful woman,  examined  into  her  past  life,  her 
weaknesses,  her  temptations,  and  her  powers  of 
resistance,  until  the  woman  upon  leaving  Him 
in  wonderment  exclaimed  to  her  companion: 
"Come,  see  a  man,  which  told  me  all  things 
that  ever  I  did."^  Without  a  full  and  complete 
knowledge  of  the  causes  which  led  to  the  com- 

*  John  iv.,  6-30. 


Crime  and  the  Criminal  221 

mission  of  the  criminal  act,  no  adequate  remedies 
can  be  applied. 

(C)  Solitary  Confinement. — The  Pennsyl- 
vania system  of  solitary  confinement,  though  it 
frees  the  prisoner  from  the  presence  of  evil  com- 
panions, does  not  release  him  from  his  brooding 
thoughts  or  prevent  him  from  indulging  in  secret 
vice,  for  an  idle  brain  inevitably  becomes  the 
devil's  workshop.  It  tends  to  enfeeble  his  body 
and  mind  and  causes  him  to  form  habits  of  idleness 
which,  on  his  release  from  prison,  unfit  him  for 
doing  the  work  and  overcoming  the  temptations 
of  the  world. 

A  prisoner  in  a  Pennsylvania  prison  on  being 
asked,  "Why  don't  you  have  higher  and  better 
thoughts,"  replied,  "Where  will  I  get  them?" 

(D)  Mingling  of  Prisoners. — ^AU  prisoners 
should  be  graded  in  the  same  manner  as  is  pre- 
scribed in  the  prisons  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
viz:  there  should  be  three  grades  or  classes — 
Class  A,  first  offenders;  Class  B,  old  offenders; 
Class  C,  incorrigibles. 

The  members  of  one  class  should  not  be  per- 
mitted to  come  in  contact  with  the  members  of 
any  other  class.  Each  class  should  be  dealt 
with  as  if  there  were  only  one  class  within  the 
prison  walls. 

The  common  practice  of  confining  first  offend- 
ers with  hardened,  abandoned  professional  crimi- 
nals needs  but  to  be  mentioned  in  order  to  ,be 


222         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

condemned.  If  a  young  man,  who  for  the  first 
time  has  committed  a  crime,  is  placed  in  close 
communion  with  old  offenders  whose  influence 
is  degrading,  whose  language  is  surcharged  with 
oaths,  vile  suggestions,  and  infamous  themes, 
and  whose  example  in  evading  prison  discipline 
and  shirking  or  eluding  prison  work  is  demoral- 
ising, he  must  possess  an  extraordinary  character 
if  he  comes  out  of  prison  impolluted  and  unscathed. 
If  a  young  girl,  who  has  committed  a  theft  or  in 
anger  struck  a  blow,  is  held  for  a  few  weeks  or  a 
few  months  with  obscene  and  depraved  women 
who  have  lost  all  sense  of  shame,  of  decency,  and 
of  womanhood,  it  cannot  be  expected  that  she 
will  come  out  from  her  term  of  imprisonment  with 
her  mind  unspotted  and  her  ideals  untarnished  by 
the  environment  in  which  she  has  been  forced  to 
live. 

A  separate  cell  should  be  provided  for  each 
prisoner  so  that  when  his  work  is  over  he  may 
have  an  opportunity  to  reflect  on  his  past  life, 
his  present  condition,  and  the  lessons  of  the  day. 

The  workshop  should  be  shared  in  common  in 
order  that  the  prisoner  may  learn  to  work  with 
others  as  he  will  be  obliged  to  do  when  he  returns 
to  the  outside  world.  No  communication  be- 
tween the  prisoners  should  be  permitted  in  the 
workshop,  which  should  be  a  place  for  work  only. 

Meals  should  be  served  at  a  common  table, 
where  general  conversation  should  be  permitted, 


Crime  and  the  Criminal  223 

in  order  that  the  prisoner  may  come  in  contact 
with  social  life  for  a  few  hours  each  day  to  remind 
him  that  he  is  still  a  social  being. 

(E)  Mental  Education. — A  school  depart- 
ment shoiild  be  included  in  every  prison,  for  in 
many  cases  a  lack  of  education  or  defective  educa- 
tion was  the  cause  of  the  downfall  of  the  prisoner. 
Dr.  Wey  of  Elmira  has  said:  "It  is  a  mistake 
to  suppose  that  a  criminal  is  naturally  bright. 
If  bright,  it  is  usually  in  a  narrow  line,  and  self- 
repeating.  Like  the  cunning  of  the  fox,  his 
smartness  generally  displays  itself  in  furthering 
his  schemes  of  personal  gratification  and  com- 
fort."^ 

Pope  Clement  XI  wisely  declared:  "It  is  of 
little  use  to  restrain  criminals  by  punishment, 
unless  you  reform  them  by  education." 

An  ignorant  man  is  a  social  danger,  and  the 
feebler  his  intellect  and  the  stronger  his  passions, 
the  more  dangerous  he  becomes.  The  inability 
to  value  the  best  things  in  life  and  to  distinguish 
between  that  which  makes  for  the  upbuilding  and 
that  which  tends  to  the  degrading  of  character  is 
what,  in  many  cases,  brings  recruits  to  the  criminal 
class.  Education  of  the  mind  is  the  primary 
remedy  to  be  applied  in  order  to  remove  such 
causes  for  the  making  of  anti-social  beings. 

"Unquestionably  education  such  as  is  obtained  in 
»  H.  Ellis,  The  Criminal,  p.  134. 


224         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

our  public  schools  does  not  do  everything  toward 
making  a  man  a  good  citizen,  but  it  does  much 
[said  ex-President  Theodore  Roosevelt].  The  lowest 
and  most  brutal  criminals,  those  for  instance  who 
commit  the  crime  of  rape,  are  in  the  great  majority 
men  who  have  had  either  no  education  or  very  little." ' 

Little  is  being  done  to-day  in  our  prisons  in  the 
way  of  education.  The  need  is  great,  the  time 
is  ripe,  and  as  the  majority  of  prisoners  are  ignor- 
ant, the  duty  of  Christians  is  to  see  that  no  talent 
is  buried  because  of  a  lack  of  knowledge  as  to 
how  to  use  it.  Dr.  Hirsch  has  wisely  declared: 
"Education  is  the  foundation  upon  which  the 
whole  man  is  built."' 

Who  [asked  Thomas  Carlyle]  would  suppose  that 
education  were  a  thing  that  had  to  be  advocated  on 
the  ground  of  local  expediency,  or,  indeed,  on  any 
ground?  as  if  it  stood  not  on  the  basis  of  everlasting 
duty,  as  a  prime  necessity  of  man.  It  is  a  thing 
which  needs  no  advocating.  To  impart  the  gift  of 
thinking  to  those  who  cannot  think,  and  yet  who 
could  in  that  case  think — this,  one  would  imagine, 
was  the  first  function  a  government  had  to  set  about 
discharging." 

(F)  Industrial  Education. — Industrial  edu- 
cation is  of  vital  importance  to  the  criminal, 
as,  in  many  cases,  he  is  without  a  trade  or  a 

'  Message  to  Congress,  Dec.  5,  1906. 
'  Genius  and  Degeneration,  p.  50. 


Crime  and  the  Criminal  225 

knowledge  of  how  to  labour  successfully  in  order 
to  earn  a  livelihood. 

Proper  manual  training  instils  in  a  man  a 
respect  for  honest,  intelligent  labour.  A  man  who 
can  see  nothing  in  manual  labour  but  the  exercise 
of  mere  brute  force,  despises  both  the  labour  and 
the  labourer.  To  him  all  handwork  is  drudgery. 
With  the  acquisition  of  skill  in  himself  comes  a 
pride  in  its  possession,  a  pride  which  often  domin- 
ates his  life.  When  once  he  appreciates  skill  in 
handicraft  or  in  any  manual  art,  he  regards  its 
possession  with  sympathy  and  respect,  and  life 
takes  on  a  new  meaning  for  him. 

A  wayward  girl  of  thirteen  was  arrested  and 
sent  to  a  State  institution  for  the  reformation  of 
young  girls,  where  manual  training  was  one  of  the 
main  features  of  the  institution.  For  two  years, 
this  girl  remained  a  rebelHous  spirit  and  was 
iminfiuenced  by  the  educational  and  reformatory 
work  of  the  institution.  On  being  placed  in  the 
laundry  department,  she  developed  unusual  skill, 
and  after  a  few  months  began  to  take  pride  in 
her  work.  As  her  skill  increased,  her  mind  be- 
gan to  tmfold  and  to  take  in  the  instruction 
given  at  the  institution.  At  eighteen,  when  she 
received  her  discharge,  she  had  become  a  model 
inmate,  and  her  chief  thought  and  ambition  was 
to  do  beautiful  laundry  work  and  to  excel  the 
other  workers  in  the  laundry.  For  the  past  few 
years,  this  former  girl  of  the  streets  has  lived  out 

IS 


226         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

in  the  world  leading  the  hardworking  life  of  a 
laundress,  being  temperate  and  moral  and  de- 
voted to  her  work.  Through  manual  training  her 
mind  was  awakened,  her  ambitions  changed,  her 
character  strengthened,  and  her  life  transformed. 

"'Charlie,'  asked  Chaplain  Phillips  of  a  young 
man  who  had  just  been  discharged  from  prison  after 
serving  his  third  term,  'what  are  you  going  to  do?* 
He  held  up  his  pale,  white  hands,  and  answered: 
'Chaplain,  these  hands  never  worked;  do  you  think 
they  can  learn  to  work?  My  father  was  a  thief,  and 
I  have  stolen  one  fortune  at  least,  since  I  was  twelve 
years  of  age.'"^ 

When  the  State  teaches  the  criminal  a  good 
trade  and  inspires  in  him  a  disposition  to  practise 
it,  it  has  transformed  a  dangerous  dependent 
into  an  independent  citizen. 

The  State-use  system,  or  the  manufacture  of 
suppHes  for  all  public  institutions,  ought  not  to 
infringe  upon  the  rights  of  the  labour  union,  or 
to  do  any  injury  to  the  workingman  who  struggles 
honestly  in  the  world  to  earn  sufficient  to  support 
himself  and  his  family.  Gen.  R.  Brinkerhofi  has 
written : 

"Prison  labour  has  no  appreciable  effect  on  free 
labour,  either  in  the  price  of  products  or  wages.  How 
can  it  have,  when  the  product  of  convict  labour  in  the 
United  States  as  compared  with  free  labotir  in  the 

*  Proceedings  of  National  Prison  Ass'n,  1887,  p.  67. 


Crime  and  the  Criminal  227 

same  industries  is  less  than  2  per  cent.,  and  the  total 
product  of  convict  labour  as  compared  with  the  total 
product  of  free  labour  is  only  fifty-four  one-hundredths 
of  I  per  cent.?"» 

Twenty-four  States  have  adopted  the  State- 
use  system,  thus  following  the  example  set  by 
Nevada,  which  on  February  28,  1887,  enacted 
a  law  providing  for  its  application  in  a  limited  way. 
The  United  States  Government,  by  acts  passed 
in  1894-95,  provided  that  convicts  in  the  United 
States  penitentiary  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kansas, 
shall  be  employed  exclusively  in  the  manufacture 
and  production  of  articles  and  supplies  for  the 
penitentiary  and  for  the  government. 

The  prison  industrial  department  should  be 
conducted,  not  for  the  making  of  money,  but 
for  the  making  of  men. 

(G)  Religious  Instruction. 

"The  great  problem  of  life  is  education  [declares 
Professor  Gates,  of  the  Chicago  Theological  Seminary]. 
The  mind  of  the  race  is  growing  all  the  while,  and 
it  is  for  the  educator  to  see  that  these  mental  powers 
are  developed  in  the  right  direction.  But  no  man's 
education  is  complete  if  religious  instruction  be 
omitted.  One  may  know  all  mysteries  of  science  and 
literature;  he  may  sweep  the  heavens  with  the 
telescope,  or  peer  into  the  secrets  of  nature  with  the 

*  Proceedings  of  National  Prison  Ass'n,  1905,  p.  14. 


228         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

microscope;  but  if  in  all  this  he  sees  not  God,  he  is 
but  poorly  educated  after  all."' 

If  men  and  women  were  without  passions, 
without  inherited  tendencies  to  vice,  and  were 
living  in  a  pure  atmosphere  away  from  tempta- 
tions to  do  wrong,  they  might  be  taught  to  be 
good,  because  to  be  good  is  right  and  proper 
and  insures  hirnian  happiness.  But  as  men  and 
women  are  constituted  with  evil  tendencies  and 
inclinations,  and  are  living  in  a  world  where 
temptations  to  depart  from  pure  and  honest 
living  are  hourly  besetting  them,  it  is  idle  to  ex- 
pect that  they  will  do  right  unless  they  believe 
in  a  God  who  rewards  for  the  keeping,  and  punishes 
for  the  violation,  of  moral  laws. 

Mere  knowledge  of  what  is  right  and  what  is 
wrong  will  never  cause  the  doing  of  the  right  and 
the  forsaking  of  the  wrong.  Judas  Iscariot  knew 
the  evil  of  treason,  but  he  betrayed  his  Master. 
Some  of  the  world's  most  noted  criminals  have 
talked  gHbly  of  the  principles  of  moraHty  and 
of  the  ethics  of  right  doing.  Morality  to  be 
effectual  must  be  governed  by  the  will,  and  back 
of  the  will  must  lie  a  motive  sufficiently  power- 
ful to  force  the  will  to  definite  action. 

Former  President  Eliot  of  Harvard  has  said: 
"No  educational  system  can  be  successfully 
carried  on  without  education  in  morals,  and  no 

» Biblical  World,  September,  1902. 


Crime  and  the  Criminal         229 

education  in  morals  is  possible  without  a  religious 
life."' 

"Mere  culture  of  the  intellect  [said  Herbert 
Spencer]  (and  education  as  usually  conducted 
amounts  to  little  more)  is  hardly  at  all  operative 
upon  conduct.  .  .  .  Intellect  is  not  a  power  but  an 
instrument — not  a  thing  which  itself  moves  and 
works,  but  a  thing  which  is  moved  and  worked  by 
forces  behind  it.  To  say  that  men  are  ruled  by 
reason  is  as  irrational  as  to  say  that  men  are  ruled 
by  their  eyes.  Reason  is  an  eye — the  eye  through 
which  the  desires  see  their  way  to  gratification. 
And  educating  it  only  makes  it  a  better  eye — gives 
it  a  vision  more  accurate  and  more  comprehensive — 
does  not  at  all  alter  the  desires  subserved  by  it. 
However  far-seeing  you  make  it,  the  passions  will 
still  determine  the  directions  in  which  it  shall  be 
ttuTied — the  objects  on  which  it  shall  dwell.  Just 
those  ends  which  the  instincts  and  sentiments  pro- 
pose, will  the  intellect  be  employed  to  accomplish; 
culture  of  it  having  done  nothing  but  increase  the 
ability  to  accomplish  them.  .  .  .  Did  much  know- 
ledge and  piercing  intelligence  suffice  to  make  men 
good,  then  Bacon  should  have  been  honest,  and 
Napoleon  should  have  been  just."* 

Henry  M.  Boies  has  written: 

"An  uncontrolled  selfish  desire  for  personal  gratifi- 
cation regardless  of  others,  malice,  and  ungoverned 

'  Outlook,  January,  1898. 
'Social  Statics,  pp.  173,  174. 


230         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

passion  are  the  general  motives  for  all  crimes;  .  .  . 
moral  depravity  is  the  sum  and  substance  of  crimi- 
nality— the  reason  why  men  commit  crime.  It  is  a 
positive  deduction  of  Penology — that  the  cause  of 
crime  is  the  moral  depravity  of  the  criminal."* 

The  only  religious  instructions  given  in  our 
prisons  to-day  are  the  Sunday  services  and  the 
occasional  visits  of  the  prison  chaplain  or  volun- 
teer Christian  workers. 

Each  religious  denomination  should  delegate  a 
clergyman  as  official  chaplain  or  as  visiting 
chaplain,  to  undertake  the  work  of  daily  system- 
atic religious  instruction  in  connection  with  the 
educational  and  manual  training,  in  order  that 
religion  may  "  be  so  woven  into  the  warp  and  woof 
of  thought  and  conduct  and  character,  into  one's 
very  life,  that  it  becomes  a  second  nature  and  the 
guiding  principle  of  all  one's  actions.'" 

Indeterminate  Sentences. — ^All  sentences 
should  be  indeterminate  as  to  time,  and  continu- 
ous until  such  a  time  as  the  convict  has  been 
pronounced  cured.  Definite  sentences  should  be 
abolished  for  two  reasons  : 

First. — Fallible  man  being  unable  to  deter- 
mine a  sentence  which  in  each  case  would  be 
just,  Christ  declared  that  men  should  "judge 
not." 

'  The  Science  of  Penology,  p.  37. 

'Essays  Miscellaneous,  by  Brother  Asanas,  pp.  70,  71. 


Crime  and  the  Criminal         231 

Second. — If  crime  is  a  disease  like  unto  small- 
pox or  diphtheria,  as  some  claim,  then  the  criminal 
should  receive  the  same  treatment  that  science 
has  decided  is  best  for  one  suffering  from  small- 
pox or  diphtheria:  i.e.^  he  should  be  confined  in 
an  institution  where  his  disease  can  be  treated 
and  where  he  will  be  detained  until  cured. 

If  crime  is  a  mental  disease  Uke  insanity,  as 
others  assert,  then  the  criminal  should  be  treated 
as  aUenists  prescribe  for  the  insane:  he  should  be 
confined  in  an  institution  where  he  will  receive 
the  best  medical  care  and  where  he  should  remain 
tmtil  he  is  discharged  as  mentally  sound. 

If  crime  is  not  a  disease,  as  many  hold,  but  is 
the  outcome  of  the  development  of  the  inherent 
evil  which  dwells  within  every  human  being, 
resulting  from  weak  will,  wrong  education,  un- 
toward physical  environment,  or  adverse  social 
conditions,  then  should  not  the  criminal  be  con- 
fined in  an  institution  where  his  weak  will  may  be 
strengthened,  his  wrong  education  corrected,  and 
where  the  evil  influence  of  the  physical  environ- 
ment and  the  social  conditions  can  no  longer  play 
upon  his  life  and  drag  him  down  into  the  ways 
of  crime? 

From  whatever  viewpoint  crime  may  be  con- 
sidered, only  one  logical  conclusion  can  be  reached, 
viz:  that  a  place  of  detention  is  absolutely  indis- 
pensable if  criminals  are  to  be  reformed  and 
remade;  and  to  accomplish  such  an  end,  no  time 


232         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

limit  should  be  set,  but  the  treatment  should 
continue  until  the  authorities  are  convinced  that 
the  former  anti-social  being  has  had  cultivated 
within  him  a  new  and  high  ideal  of  life,  and 
has  become  qualified,  by  intellectual  training,  in- 
dustrial education,  and  by  strength  of  character, 
to  live  the  life  of  a  valuable  citizen  of  the  state. 
To  establish  a  time  limit  for  his  confinement 
would  be  "as  irrational  as  the  employment  of  a 
doctor  for  a  serious  ailment  on  a  time  contract."^ 

Under  a  determinate  sentence,  the  average 
prisoner  is  antagonistic  to  all  efforts  made  to 
awaken  or  transform  him.  Under  an  indeter- 
minate sentence,  the  prisoner,  with  the  knowledge 
that  he  will  be  released  only  when  it  becomes 
apparent  to  the  officers  who  have  him  in  charge 
that  society  need  no  longer  fear  him,  will  yield 
naturally  to  the  work  of  reformation. 

Dr.  G.  Frank  Lydston  has  written : 

"One  of  the  great  advantages  of  the  indeterminate 
sentence  is  the  moral  effect  upon  the  criminal  of  the 
knowledge  that  he  must  either  permanently  reform 
or  be  immured  for  the  rest  of  his  natural  life.  He 
soon  comes  to  realise  that  society  will  no  longer 
tolerate  him  at  the  price  of  a  certain  amount  of  time 
spent  in  jail  from  time  to  time,  but  demands  that  he 
either  prove  his  worthiness  to  be  at  large,  or  remain 
permanently  in  prison."* 

»  Boies,  The  Science  of  Penology,  p.  141. 
»  The  Diseases  oj  Society,  p.  606. 


Crime  and  the  Criminal         233 

Maconochie  strikingly  says:  "When  a  man 
keeps  the  key  to  his  own  prison,  he  is  soon  per- 
suaded to  fit  it  to  the  lock." 

Parole  Board. — A  State  Prison  Board  of 
Parole,  consisting  of  three  members,  should  be 
appointed  by  the  governor  to  pass  on  all  applica- 
tions for  release  from  prison.  The  board  should 
have  the  following  powers: 

(a)  When  convinced  that  the  prisoner  has 
been  reformed  and  is  determined  to  Hve  the  life 
of  a  worthy  citizen  of  the  state,  and  has  employ- 
ment awaiting  him  which  will  enable  him  to 
earn  an  honest  living,  to  release  him  on  parole. 

f  To  release  a  prisoner  who  has  no  position  await- 
ing him  by  means  of  which  he  may  support  him- 
self and  those  dependent  upon  him  for  livelihood 
is  to  place  the  man  amid  temptations  which  are 
likely  to  lead  him  again  into  crime.  Having  no 
employment,  the  paroled  prisoner  eventually  drifts 
to  the  large  city  and  to  that  part  of  the  city 
where  food  and  lodging  may  be  obtained  at  the 
lowest  price, — and  where  pinching  want  is  foimd, 
the  abodes  of  crime  and  vice  exist.  Hunger  is  apt 
to  induce  thievery,  and  if  the  paroled  prisoner  has 
no  way  of  honestly  earning  his  daily  bread,  it 
would  be  far  better  to  keep  him  confined  within 
prison  walls. 

(b)  At  the  end  of  one  year  or  longer,  in  the  dis- 
cretion of  the  board,  the  paroled  prisoner  who  has 
not  violated  his  parole  or  committed  any  act  in 


234         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

violation  of  the  criminal  law,  should  be  dis- 
charged from  prison. 

There  is  no  one  thing  which  a  man  values 
more  than  his  personal  Hberty.  To  be  deprived 
of  liberty  and  compelled  to  obey  the  orders  of 
a  keeper,  is  revolting  to  every  himian  being. 
Enforced  servitude  is  repugnant  to  a  man's  na- 
ture. Therefore,  without  prisons  or  places  of 
legal  detention,  there  would  be  no  fear  to  induce 
the  keeping  of  the  parole.  Fear  is  a  potent  factor  in 
the  life  of  every  human  being.  If  there  exist  prisons 
as  places  of  enforced  confinement  for  the  violation 
of  one's  parole,  the  parole  is  apt  to  be  kept. 

The  result  of  the  workings  of  the  prison  parole 
laws  of  the  State  of  New  York  from  1901  to  1907, 
both  years  included,  is  set  forth  in  the  following 
table  taken  from  the  Report  of  the  Board  of 
Parole  for  State  Prisons  for  year  ending  Septem- 
ber 30,  1907: 

Original  applications  considered  2,279 

Reapplications  considered,  i»5i3 

3»792 

Number  of  prisoners  paroled,  i>378 

Number  of  paroled  prisoners  discharged,     934 
Number    of    delinquents    returned    to 

prison,  107 

Number  of  delinquents  at  large,  116 

Number  of  prisoners  on  parole  on  good 

standing,  221 

1,378 


Crime  and  the  Criminal  235 

"Percentage  of  delinquents  on  whole  number  of 
prisoners  paroled,  i6. 

"The  results  shown  in  the  above  table  are  deemed 
highly  satisfactory,  and  especially  so  when  it  is  con- 
sidered that  they  were  attained  while  the  parole 
system  was  in  a  sense  in  its  experimental  stage,  and 
very  largely  with  prisoners  sentenced  for  crimes  the 
maximum  penalty  for  which  is  five  years  or  less,  and 
who,  in  the  main,  are  a  low  class  of  criminals,  ignorant, 
and  often  mentally  and  physically  deficient."^ 

Capital  Punishment. — Capital  punishment, 
the  cutting  short  of  the  life  of  the  criminal,  in- 
stead of  attempting  to  develop  him  into  a  peni- 
tent child  of  God,  is  directly  contrary  to  the 
teachings  of  Christ,  for  as  Wilberforce  declared: 
"To  shorten  a  human  life  is  to  put  in  jeopardy  a 
human  soul." 

"He  steadfastly  set  his  face  to  go  to  Jerusalem, 
and  sent  messengers  before  his  face,  and  they  went, 
and  entered  into  a  village  of  the  Samaritans,  to 
make  ready  for  him.  And  they  did  not  receive  him. 
.  .  .  And  when  his  disciples  James  and  John  saw 
this,  they  said.  Lord,  wilt  thou  that  we  command 
fire  to  come  down  from  heaven,  and  consume  them, 
even  as  Elias  did?  But  he  turned  and  rebuked 
them,  and  said.  Ye  know  not  what  manner  of  spirit 
ye  are  of.  For  the  Son  of  man  is  not  come  to  destroy 
men's  lives,  but  to  save  them. ' '  ^ 

Ex-CoNviCT. — In  the  eyes  of  the  law,  a  crimi- 

*  Annual  Report,  p.  lo.  *Lukeix.,  51-56. 


236         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

nal  who  has  served  his  full  sentence  and  re- 
ceived his  discharge  is  a  free  man,  and  no  one  has 
a  right  to  regard  him  other  than  as  a  free  man. 

"Ex-convict"  is  a  name  no  one  has  a  right  to 
apply  to  any  human  being.  A  convict,  after 
paying  his  debt  to  the  state  in  full,  becomes  a  free 
man.  To  call  a  free  man  an  "ex-convict"  is  to 
assail  his  rights  as  a  freeman. 

When  a  sinner  repents,  Christ  said  his  sins 
should  be  blotted  out  and  his  past  buried,  and  the 
remembrance  of  the  sin  erased  from  the  pages  of 
memory.  "Go  and  sin  no  more,"  implies  the 
giving  of  help,  and  not  the  placing  of  hindrances 
in  the  way  of  wrong-doers. 

Without  encouragement  and  help  from  the 
more  fortunate,  the  ex-convict  will  be  unable  to 
make  a  new  start,  no  matter  how  high  may  be  his 
purpose  or  firm  his  resolution. 

The  discharged  convict  who  comes  out  of  prison 
unrepentant  and  unreformed,  returns  to  the  world 
to  occupy  the  same  place  he  had  occupied  be- 
fore his  imprisonment.  His  companions  are  ready 
to  welcome  him  with  a  planned  criminal  under- 
taking in  which  he  is  given  a  part  and  a  help- 
ing hand  until  he  has  obtained  sufficient  for  his 
support. 

As  for  the  discharged  convict  who  leaves  the 
prison  with  the  determination  to  live  an  honest 
Christian  life,  what  does  he  find?  Does  he  find 
Christian  men  and  women  ready  to  extend  a 


Crime  and  the  Criminal         237 

cordial  welcome,  a  bracing  friendship,  and  a  help- 
ing hand?  Does  he  find  Christian  people  who  so 
rejoice  over  his  repentance  and  his  new  resolution 
that  they  will  assist  him  to  overcome  his  old  temp- 
tations and  to  keep  away  from  his  former  com- 
panions, and  give  him  a  new  start  in  life?  Or 
does  he  find  Christian  people  closing  their  doors 
upon  him,  refusing  him  aid,  denying  him  work, 
and  saying  imto  him,  "We  are  done  with  you," 
thus  leaving  him 

"Alone  on  a  wide,  wide  sea, 
So  lonely  that  even  God  himself 
Scarce  seemeth  there  to  be?" 

"But  this  I  affirm  [says  Bishop  Henry  Codman 
Potter]:  that  Christian  society  stands,  as  a  body, 
with  a  front  of  brass  turned  inexorably  toward  the 
criminal  classes.  God  forgives,  but  they  will  not. 
The  woman  who  was  a  sinner  He  once  welcomed, 
but  they  spurn  her.  The  man  who  had  fallen  He 
beckoned  back  into  His  own  loving  fellowship,  but 
they  repel  him.  In  one  word,  the  criminal  and  the 
criminal  classes  stand  to-day,  as  a  rule,  in  the  large, 
to  the  Christian  Brahman  as  a  Pariah,  not  to  be 
touched,  not  to  be  owned,  not  to  be  defiled,  if  one 
can  help  it,  by  even  so  much  or  so  little  as  his  passing 
shadow.  The  jail-bird,  this  is  the  fowl  turned  verily 
out  of  the  Christian  ark,  and  for  whom  the  deluge 
never  subsides."' 

Mrs.  Maud  Ballington  Booth  tells  the  story  of 
*  The  Scholar  and  the  State,  p.  169. 


238         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

a  young  man  brought  up  in  the  streets  who  had 
been  sentenced  to  prison  for  burglary.  During  his 
imprisonment  he  had  learned  from  the  chaplain 
a  new  way  of  life,  and  when  the  time  came  for  his 
discharge,  he  went  forth  with  a  firm  resolve  to  do 
right. 

"After  a  few  days  of  effort  in  the  big  city  he  found 
that  it  was  not  so  easy  to  obtain  employment  as  he 
had  anticipated.  For  several  weeks  he  sought  for 
an  honest  start  in  life,  but  no  hand  was  stretched  out 
to  help  him.  ...  At  last  flesh  and  blood  could  stand 
the  strain  no  longer.  His  mind  was  benumbed  and 
a  fever  was  raging  in  his  blood.  Crossing  the  Boston 
Common  on  a  bleak  rainy  afternoon,  he  stumbled 
and  lost  consciousness.  Hotu"S  passed,  when  a  man 
chanced  to  stumble  over  the  prostrate  figure.  He 
stooped  to  see  what  lay  in  his  path  and,  finding  it  was 
an  unconscious  man,  he  turned  his  face  to  the  light 
only  to  discover  that  it  was  the  face  of  a  friend. 
Lifting  the  man  from  the  ground,  he  tenderly  guided 
the  staggering  footsteps  to  his  own  home. 

"True,  his  home  consisted  of  rooms  above  a  saloon; 
true,  this  Samaritan  was  himself  the  leader  of  a  gang 
of  burglars,  and  yet  the  deed  was  one  of  charity,  and 
his  was  the  one  hand  stretched  out  to  help  this 
sick  and  helpless  man.  For  weeks  he  was  carefully 
nursed  and  tended.  The  doctor  was  called  to  watch 
over  him.  When  the  fever  left  him  and  strength 
rettuned,  nourishing  food  was  provided,  and  when 
he  was  well  enough  to  dress  he  was  welcomed  in  the 
room  where  the  gang  met  and  not  in  any  sense  made 
to  feel  that  he  had  been  a  burden.     All  this  time  no 


Crime  and  the  Criminal  239 

effort  had  been  made  to  draw  him  back  into  the  old 
way  of  living.  One  night  as  he  sat  at  a  little  distance, 
he  heard  his  friends  plan  a  burglary.  They  had  a 
map  stretched  out  upon  the  table  before  them  and 
had  marked  upon  it  the  several  positions  to  be  occu- 
pied by  different  members  of  the  gang,  some  to  enter, 
while  others  watched  and  guarded  the  house.  One 
point  was  unguarded,  and  while  they  were  seeking  to 
re-adjust  their  company  to  fill  this  place,  the  young 
man  rose  and,  coming  to  the  table,  he  laid  his  finger 
on  the  spot  and  said.  Tut  me  down  there.'  The 
leader  of  the  gang,  who  had  proved  so  truly  his  friend, 
laid  his  hand  upon  his  shoulder,  and  said  quickly: 
'Don't  you  do  it!  You  have  been  trying  to  be 
honest,  stick  to  it!  You  have  had  a  long  term  in 
prison  and  are  sick  of  it.  Don't  go  back  to  the  old 
life!'  But  the  boy  turning  on  him  (and  there  was 
much  truth  in  his  answer)  said:  'When  I  was  sick  and 
hungry,  who  cared?  When  I  was  trying  to  be  honest, 
who  helped  me?  When  I  lay  dying  on  the  Common, 
who  was  it  stretched  out  a  helping  hand,  who  paid 
my  doctor's  bill,  and  who  nursed  me?  You  did  and 
with  you  I  shall  cast  my  lot.'  He  would  not  be 
dissuaded.  That  night  he  not  only  went  out  and 
aided  in  the  burglary  but  was  caught  by  the  police. 
In  his  trial  the  fact  came  out  that  he  had  only  been  a 
few  months  out  of  prison.  The  fact  that  he  had  been 
so  soon  detected  in  crime  with  his  old  gang  was  evi- 
dence of  his  criminal  propensities  and  he  was  returned 
to  prison  for  an  extra  long  term  as  an  old  offender." 

The  Associated  Press   sent  out  the  following 
report  on  February  13,  1909: 


240         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

"The  San  Francisco  bribery  graft  case  had  a 
dramatic  climax  late  to-day  when  Francis  J.  Heney, 
assistant  district  attorney,  who  had  been  in  charge 
of  the  prosecution  for  two  years,  was  shot  and 
seriously  wounded  in  Judge  Lawlor's  court-room 
by  Morris  Haas,  a  former  convict.  The  shooting 
occurred  during  a  brief  recess  in  the  third  trial  of 
Abraham  Ruef  on  a  charge  of  bribery,  now  in  its 
eleventh  week. 

"Haas  kept  a  small  liquor  store  on  Polk  Street. 
He  claims  his  persecution  in  San  Bernardino  was 
framed  up.  He  appealed  to  Heney  not  to  make  his 
record  public,  as  his  wife  and  children  knew  nothing 
of  it.  The  exposure  in  court  ruined  his  business,  and 
he  failed  last  July. 

"Directly  after  the  shooting,  while  Mr.  Heney  was 
still  lying  on  the  floor,  several  newspaper  reporters 
approached  the  would-be  assassin,  who  had  not  been 
identified,  and  asked  him  for  his  name.  At  first  he 
refused  to  give  it,  then  he  said : 

"'I  am  Morris  Haas.  Heney  ruined  me.  I  don't 
care  what  becomes  of  me  now.' 

" '  I  shot  him,'  he  shouted,  '  to  get  even  for  humiliat- 


mg  me 


"The  incident  which  led  Haas  to  shoot  Heney 
occurred  in  Judge  Dooling's  court-room  on  April 
24th  last.  Ten  jurors  had  been  secured  to  try  Ruef 
in  the  Parkside  bribery  case.  Heney  arose  and  in 
a  dramatic  manner  declared  that  he  had  evidence 
that  one  of  the  jury  was  unfit  to  serve.  Taking  from 
his  pocket  a  police  identification  card,  representing 
a  man  in  convict's  stripes,  with  a  number  on  his 
breast,    Heney   walked   over   to   the   railing   behind 


Crime  and  the  Criminal  241 

which  the  jurors  sat,  and,  showing  the  photograph 
to  Haas,  asked  him  if  he  knew  the  man.  Unnerved 
by  the  suddenness  of  the  disclosure,  Haas  stammered 
an  acknowledgment  that  the  photograph  was  of 
himself,  and  then  requested  him  that  he  be  spared 
the  disgrace  of  publicity.  Heney,  however,  was 
relentless. 

"'You  have  been  convicted  of  a  felony,  have  you 
not,'  he  said,  'and  have  served  a  term  at  San 
Quentin?' 

"The  juror  admitted  that  he  had,  but  protested 
that  he  had  been  pardoned  and  restored  to  citizen- 
ship. That  was  in  1888,  and  he  had  been  convicted 
at  San  Bernardino  of  embezzlement.  The  man  on 
whose  accusation  he  had  been  sent  to  prison,  Charles 
Lessinger,  had  subsequently  committed  suicide  by 
jumping  out  of  a  window  of  the  Waldeck  Sanitarium. 

"'I  asked  to  be  relieved  from  serving  on  the  jury 
when  I  was  first  called,'  added  Haas,  'but  was  refused. 
I  did  not  want  to  tell  of  an  experience  which  would 
bring  disgrace  on  me  after  all  these  years.' 

"The  episode  brought  Frank  Murphy,  of  Ruef's 
counsel,  to  his  feet  with  a  protest.  He  thought  it 
scandalous  that  public  odium  should  be  thrust  on 
Haas  when,  if  the  district  attorney  had  told  the 
defence  privately  of  his  discovery,  the  juror  would 
have  been  quietly  excused. 

" '  I  have  no  doubt  of  that,*  said  Heney,  'but  I  have 
doubt  if  you  knew  of  an  ex-felon  being  in  the  jury- 
box  and  we  did  not  know  that  you  would  say  any- 
thing about  it.'"^ 

'  Buffalo  Express,  November  14,  1908. 
16 


242         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

To  make  men  trustworthy,  trust  them.  Dis- 
trust begets  reason  for  distrust.  Christ  trusted 
the  doubting  Thomas,  and  Thomas  rose  up  to 
possess  a  sublime  faith.  Christ  would  not  suffer 
even  the  denial  of  Peter  to  shake  His  trust  in 
him,  and  Peter  became  eminently  worthy  of  this 
trust. 

When  Lord  Nelson  raised  to  the  mast-head  of 
his  flag-ship  the  signal  to  his  fleet,  "England 
expects  every  man  to  do  his  duty,"  every  Eng- 
lish sailor  felt  that  as  England  trusted  him  and 
expected  him  to  do  his  duty,  he  would  not  dis- 
appoint the  hope  centred  in  him.  Each  man 
had  enlisted  to  serve  a  country  which  expected 
from  him  great  things,  and  each  man  responded 
nobly.  The  Admiral  who  placed  his  trust  in 
his  men  inspired  in  them  such  a  determination  to 
become  worthy  of  the  trust  imposed,  that  neither 
the  double  line  of  hostile  ships  nor  the  blood- 
drenched  decks  of  their  own  vessels  cotdd  shatter 
it. 

Mr.  J.  A.  Leonard,  Superintendent  of  the  State 
Reformatory,  Mansfield,  Ohio,  in  an  address 
before  the  American  Prison  Association,  on  the 
effect  of  placing  trust  in  prisoners,  said  with  re- 
gard to  the  men  working  on  the  prison  farm  with- 
out attendant  guards: 

"The  number  trusted  is  growing  larger  and  larger 
each  year.  We  select  them  very  carefully.  I  take 
a  boy  out  quietly  in  the  evening  and  have  a  talk  with 


Crime  and  the  Criminal         243 

him.  I  ask  him  if  he  will  voluntarily  assimie  that 
responsibility.  If  he  agrees,  I  produce  a  bond,  one 
that  has  been  prepared  with  some  red  ink,  red  ribbon, 
and  red  seals,  and  burdened  with  all  the  meaningless 
expressions  that  our  legal  brethren  have  burdened 
us  with.  At  the  bottom  of  it  there  are  two  clauses 
of  plain  English  that  the  boy  is  supposed  to  under- 
stand. There  is  nothing  like  being  impressive  as  he 
signs  the  bond.  I  say  to  him:  'Now,  here  is  the 
place  for  your  surety.  Where  are  you  going  to  get 
it?'  He  replies,  *I  believe  my  folks  will  give  it.* 
*That  cannot  be  done,  my  boy.  This  is  an  honotir 
bond.'  Then,  'I  will  do  it,'  I  tell  him.  'I  will  be 
your  first  friend  and  stand  for  you  with  the  deputy.' 

"I  have  signed  ten  hundred  and  eighteen  of  those 
bonds  and  only  five  have  been  dishonoured.  That 
experiment  has  been  worth  a  great  deal  more  than  it 
costs.  It  costs  some  anxiety.  Next  year  I  expect 
to  put  out  about  two  hundred  men  if  I  live.  I  shall 
put  out  more  and  more  each  year  and  I  shall  expect 
this  good  record  to  continue,  simply  because  the 
fellows  inside  are  standing  for  it.  The  fellow  who 
scales  the  walls  gets  the  applause  that  always  goes 
with  the  deed  of  daring,  but  the  fellow  who  goes  out 
after  signing  a  bond,  with  the  superintendent's  name 
to  it,  'takes  a  sneak,'  and  when  he  is  brought  back 
he  is  made  to  feel  it."» 

Conclusion. — Christ  declared  that  figs  cannot 
be  grown  from  the  seed  of  thistles,  nor  grapes  from 
thorns;  and  human  life  has  proved  that  honest, 

«  Journal  of  Prison  Discipline,  January,  1909,  p.  56. 


244         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

upright,  moral  characters  cannot  issue  from 
criminal  parents.  Mr.  Henry  M.  Boies  has 
truly  declared: 

"The  science  of  heredity  makes  it  probable  that 
not  only  the  fifty  to  seventy-five  per  cent,  of  criminal 
moral  depravity  which  has  been  traced,  but  nearly 
every  case  of  it  is  due  to  a  diseased  or  disordered 
organism  or  function  of  organs,  produced  by  ancestral 
influences.  Good  seed  generates  sound  and  healthy 
fruit,  and  imperfect  parentage  can  yield  only  defective 
offspring." « 

To  prevent  discharged  or  paroled  criminals  from 
bringing  into  the  world  children  predisposed  to 
crime,  the  state  should  see  that,  while  a  man  is  in 
its  custody,  he  shall  receive  that  physical,  mental, 
industrial,  and  religious  education  needed  to 
eradicate  his  criminal  tendencies  and  to  prepare 
him  for  the  parenthood  of  normal,  healthy,  moral 
offspring. 

*  The  Science  of  Penology,  p.  49. 


WEALTH 


a4S 


WEALTH 

WEALTH  has  been  defined  as  "valuable 
material  possessions,"^  viz:  "everything 
outside  of  man,  procured  by  himian  effort,  which 
directly  or  indirectly  satisfies  human  wants."" 
It  comprises  "those  things,  and  those  things 
only,  which  are  transferable,  are  limited  in 
supply,  and  are  directly  or  indirectly  productive 
of  pleasure,  or  preventive  of  pain."^ 

Private  Ownership  of  Property. — Christ 
recognised  the  right  of  private  ownership  of 
property.  He  never  condemned  or  called  into 
question  the  right  of  the  individual  to  acquire, 
possess,  and  aHenate  property. 

To  Zaccheus,  the  rich  man,  Christ  said:  "To- 
day I  must  abide  at  thy  house."''  Peter  owned  a 
house  and  entertained  Christ  in  it,  and  was  not 
rebuked,  s 

In  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  Christ  distinctly 
recognised  the  right  of  private  ownership  in 
these  words:  "Give  to  every  man  that  asketh  of 
thee,  and  of  him  that  taketh  away  thy  goods, 
ask  not  again.  "^ 

'  Century  Dictionary. 

'  Outlines  oj  Social  Economics,  by  George  Gunton,  p.  20, 
J  Jevons,  Theory  oj  Political  Economy,  p.  175. 
*  Luke  xix.,  5.         s  Matt,  viii.,  14.  *  Luke  vi.,  30. 

247 


248         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

"Sell  that  thou  hast,  and  give  to  the  poor,"' 
was  Christ's  advice  to  the  rich  young  man. 

"Sell  that  ye  have  and  give  alms,"*  Christ  com- 
manded. He  directed  the  giving  of  "that  ye 
have";  He  did  not  question  the  right  to  its  pos- 
session; if  He  had  questioned  it,  He  would  have 
directed  the  restoration,  rather  than  the  giving 
away  of  property.  Giving  implies  the  ownership 
of  the  property  transferred,  and  ownership  im- 
plies the  right  to  use  and  dispose  of  property  as 
its  owner  wills. 

Because  Christ  and  His  disciples  kept  a  common 
purse,  ^  some  claim  that  Christ  advocated  a  com- 
mon ownership  of  all  property. 

The  community  of  goods  was  a  custom  prac- 
tised by  the  Essenes,  a  Jewish  sect  of  Christ's 
day,  and,  therefore,  did  not  originate  with  Christ 
and  His  band  of  disciples. 

Was  not  the  expedient  of  having  a  common 
purse,  as  adopted  by  Christ  and  His  disciples,  the 
simplest  way  for  that  small  body  of  men  who 
were  living  together  for  the  purpose  of  doing 
a  common  work — a  work  unconnected  with 
the  accumulation  of  property — to  manage  their 
temporal  affairs?  Does  this  teach  any  lesson 
other  than  that  Christ  considered  the  care  of 
the  needs  of  the  body  to  be  subordinate  to  His 
work  of  extending  His  kingdom  on  earth?  The 
way  which  least  interfered  with  the  great  work 

*  Mark  x.,  17-31.  '  Luke  xii.,  33.  '  John  xiii.,  29. 


Wealth  249 

He  was  doing,  was  the  way  chosen.  Though  He 
and  His  disciples  held  all  goods  in  common,  He 
never  advocated  this  practice  as  a  general  custom, 
or  commanded  its  observance  by  His  followers. 

After  the  death  of  Christ,  the  practice  of  com- 
munity of  goods  was  restricted  to  the  Church  at 
Jerusalem.  This  custom  was  not  to  be  found 
elsewhere;  neither  at  Ephesus,  nor  at  Antioch, 
nor  at  Corinth,  nor  at  Rome,  is  there  any  trace  of 
it.  There  was  no  command,  precept,  or  rule 
making  it  obligatory  on  one  to  divest  himself  of 
his  worldly  goods  in  order  to  be  baptised  and  be- 
come a  member  of  the  Christian  community.* 

There  was  not  the  slightest  compulsion  exercised 
over  the  Christians  of  Jerusalem  to  part  with 
their  goods.  They  did  so  voluntarily  and  of 
their  own  free  will,  as  they  wished  to  devote  them- 
selves wholly  to  the  service  of  God  and  of  their 
neighbour.  The  contributions  made  to  the  com- 
mon fimd  were  their  free-will  offerings,  as  is  seen 
from  the  story  of  Ananias  and  Sapphira. 

Ananias  and  Sapphira  sought  to  have  a  foot 
in  both  kingdoms,  to  serve  God  and  mammon. 
Peter,  seeing  through  their  device,  made  an  ex- 
ample of  them  before  the  assembled  brethren. 
It  was  the  fraud  perpetrated  that  he  punished, 
the  lie  to  the  Holy  Ghost.  He  said  to  Ananias: 
"Whilst  it  remained,  did  it  not  remain  in  thee? 

*  Acts  ii.,  42-47;  iv.,  32-35;  James  v.,  1-8;  2  Thess.  iii.,  6-15; 
2  Cor.  viii.,  9,  13,  14. 


250         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

And  after  it  was  sold,  was  it  not  still  in  thy 
power?  "^ 

There  was  no  law,  rule,  precept,  or  command 
which  compelled  Ananias  to  sell  his  property,  and, 
after  he  had  sold  it,  there  was  nothing  to  obUge 
him  to  part  with  the  price  he  received  for  it.  But 
when  he  came  to  the  apostle  and  pretended  that 
he  was  giving  the  whole  purchase  price  to  the 
Church,  whilst  in  reality  he  was  retaining  a  large 
share  of  it,  he  practised  a  deceit,  for  which  act  of 
deception  he  suffered  the  penalty  inflicted. 

Christ  did  not  advise  the  rich  young  man  to  put 
his  money  into  the  common  purse  and  join  the 
little  band  of  disciples,  but  rather  to  "sell  that 
thou  hast,"  and  when  the  property  was  con- 
verted into  money,  to  distribute  it  among  the 
poor.* 

Attitude  toward  Men  of  Wealth. — Christ 
never  condemned  the  man  of  wealth  because  of 
his  ownership  of  wealth.  True,  he  condemned 
Dives,  but  it  was  not  because  of  the  riches  he  pos- 
sessed, but  rather  for  allowing  Lazarus  to  die  of 
himger  at  his  door.  ^  Whether  a  man  was  possessed 
of  wealth  or  whether  he  was  in  poverty  made  no 
difference  to  Christ.  Christ  came  to  save  man- 
kind. It  was  the  man  in  whom  Christ  was  in- 
terested, not  the  possessions.  There  were  to  Him 
but  two  classes  of  men,  not  the  rich  and  the  poor, 
not  the  propertied  and  the  non-propertied,  but  the 

'  Acts  v.,  4.        *  Luke  xviii.,  18-25.  '  Luke  vi.,  16-31. 


Wealth  251 

saved  and  the  lost.  His  mission  was  to  seek  out 
and  to  save  the  lost.  Among  His  friends  were 
many  who  were  poor  in  this  worid's  goods  and 
many  who  were  possessed  of  wealth. 

Lazarus,  whom  Christ  loved  and  raised  from 
the  dead,  was  a  man  of  wealth,  and  probably  a 
financier. 

Christ  was  a  guest  at  the  house  of  Zaccheus 
of  Jericho,^  who  was  "a  rich  man  and  chief  of  the 
publicans,"  and  at  the  homes  of  Simon  the  Phari- 
see and  Simon  of  Bethany  (if  they  were  not  one 
and  the  same  person),  who,  also,  were  men  of 
means. 

Christ  was  not  ashamed  to  acknowledge  as  His 
friends,  the  rich  steward  of  Herod,  the  wealthy 
Susanna,  and  the  rich  and  generous  Joanna,  the 
wife  of  Chusa.' 

:  The  wealthy  centurion  of  Capernaum  "was 
dear  to  Him"^;  so  was  Zebedee,  the  father  of 
John,  who  had  "hired  servants"  and  a  ship  on 
the  lake  of  Galilee '»;  and  also  Nicodemus,  a  man 
of  position  and  wealth  and  a  ruler  of  the  Jews'; 
while  it  was  His  friend,  a  "rich  man  of  Arima- 
thea,"^  who  begged  the  body  of  Christ  and  laid 
it  in  his  own  tomb. 

Attitude  toward  Wealth. — ^The  chief  aim 
of  the  individual  should  be  to  enter  into  the 

«  Luke  xix.,  i,  10.  '  Luke  viii.,  2,  3. 

»  Matt,  viii.,  5,  13.  ■•  Mark  i.,  20. 

8  John  ii.,  I,  21;  viii.,  50;  xix.,  39  *  Matt,  xxvii.,  57. 


252         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

"Kingdom  of  God."  Christ  declared  that  all 
things  else  are  of  relative  insignificance:  "Seek 
ye  first  the  Kingdom  of  God,"  is  Christ's  in- 
junction; "for  a  man's  life  consisteth  not  in  the 
abundance  of  the  things  which  he  possesses."* 

Christ  taught  that  wealth  is  of  little  conse- 
quence as  compared  with  the  privilege  of  becom- 
ing a  citizen  of  the  "Kingdom,"  for  the  following 
fourfold  reasons: 

First:  Wealth  is  perishable,  while  citizenship 
in  the  "IQngdom"  is  everiasting. 

"Lay  not  up  for  yourselves  treasures  upon  earth, 
where  moth  and  rust  doth  corrupt,  and  where  thieves 
break  through  and  steal:  But  lay  up  for  yotuselves 
treasures  in  heaven,  where  neither  moth  nor  rust 
doth  corrupt,  and  where  thieves  do  not  break  through 
nor  steal."* 

Second:  The  possession  of  wealth  is  only  for  a 
little  time,  while  citizenship  in  the  "Kingdom" 
is  for  eternity. 

"And  he  spake  a  parable  unto  them,  saying.  The 
ground  of  a  certain  rich  man  brought  forth  plentifully : 

"And  he  thought  within  himself,  saying.  What  shall 
I  do,  because  I  have  no  room  where  to  bestow  my 
fruits? 

"And  he  said,  This  will  I  do:  I  will  pull  down  my 
barns,  and  build  greater;  and  there  will  I  bestow  all 
my  fruits  and  my  goods. 

»  Luke  xii.,  15.  » Matt,  vi.,  19,  20. 


Wealth  253 

"And  I  will  say  to  my  soul,  Soul,  thou  hast  much 
goods  laid  up  for  many  years;  take  thine  ease,  eat, 
drink,  and  be  merry. 

"But  God  said  unto  him.  Thou  fool,  this  night  thy 
soul  shall  be  required  of  thee:  then  whose  shall  those 
things  be,  which  thou  hast  provided? 

"So  is  he  that  layeth  up  treasures  for  himself  and 
is  not  rich  toward  God." » 

"And  these  shall  go  away  into  everlasting  punish- 
ment: but  the  righteous  into  life  eternal."' 

Third:  No  individual  can  seek  whole-heart- 
edly the  "Kingdom  of  God"  and  at  the  same 
time  seek  the  possession  of  wealth.  Each  en- 
deavour requires  the  dedication  of  the  whole 
man,  and,  therefore,  one  must  be  sacrificed  for 
the  sake  of  the  other. 

"No  man  can  serve  two  masters:  for  either  he  will 
hate  the  one,  and  love  the  other;  or  else  he  will  hold 
to  the  one,  and  despise  the  other.  Ye  cannot  serve 
God  and  mammon." ^ 

Fourth:  The  individual  who  has  made  the 
accumulation  of  wealth  the  sole  aim  of  his  life 
will  have  difficulty  in  his  latter  days  in  securing 
entrance  into  the  "Kingdom." 

To  a  certain  ruler  who  had  kept  all  the  com- 
mandments and  who  inquired  what  he  shoidd  do 
to  inherit  eternal  Hfe,  Christ  said: 

"Yet  lackest  thou  one  thing:  sell  all  that  thou 
'Luke  xii.,  16-21  '  Matt,  xxv.,  46.         »  Matt,  vi.,  24. 


254         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

hast,  and  distribute  unto  the  poor,  and  thou  shalt 
have  treasure  in  heaven :  and  come,  follow  me. 

"And  when  he  heard  this,  he  was  very  sorrowful: 
for  he  was  very  rich. 

"And  when  Jesus  saw  that  he  was  very  sorrowful, 
he  said,  How  hardly  shall  they  that  have  riches  enter 
into  the  Kingdom  of  God"? 

"For  it  is  easier  for  a  camel  to  go  through  a  needle's 
eye,  than  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  into  the  Kingdom 
of  God."  V 

'  "Seek  ye  first  the  Kingdom  of  God."  If  men 
sought,  first,  entrance  into  the  "Kingdom  of 
God"  and  made  the  seeking  of  wealth  subsidiary 
to  their  first  aim,  further  discussion  of  this  sub- 
ject would  be  imnecessary.  But  as  so  many 
make  the  accumiilation  of  wealth  the  first  con- 
cern of  their  lives,  or  endeavour  to  seek  God  and 
mammon  at  the  same  time,  it  may  be  profitable 
to  consider  certain  temptations  to  sin  and 
dangers  to  the  higher  life,  which  lie  in  the  path- 
way of  those  who  have  consecrated  themselves 
to  the  accumulation  and  the  administration  of 
wealth. 

Accumulation  of  Wealth. — Is  the  pursuit 
of  wealth,  which  is  the  ruling  passion  of  the 
American  people,  unchristian? 

If  the  pursuit  of  wealth  is  unchristian,  then  are 
Christians  to  be  idlers,  beggars,  or  parasites 
upon  the  world?    Strange  as  it  may  seem,  many 

'  Luke  xviii.,  18-25. 


Wealth  255 

have  reached  this  conclusion  from  their  study  of 
the  teachings  of  Christ. 

Christ  never  put  a  ban  on  the  act  of  accumulat- 
ing wealth.  He  encouraged  industry;  He  com- 
mended thrift;  He  recognised  the  ambition  to 
acquire  property  as  a  worthy  ambition,  provided 
it  did  not  become  the  prime  object  of  life,  but 
was  subordinate  to  love  of  God  and  love  of  man- 
kind. Making  the  accumulation  of  wealth  the 
summum  bonum  of  life,  however,  is  directly  con- 
trary to  His  teachings. 

Despite  the  wisdom  contained  in  the  teachings 
of  Christ,  many  among  the  educated  and  the 
ignorant,  the  good  and  the  bad,  the  rich  and  the 
poor,  are  sacrificing  health,  friends,  and  even  prin- 
ciples, to  gain  wealth.  Many  appear  to  be  hyp- 
notised by  the  sight  of  wealth — they  seem  to  lose 
all  power  to  see  anything  but  gold,  to  think 
anything  but  gold,  to  do  aught  but  strive  for 
the  possession  of  gold.  With  them  all  things  are 
measured  in  terms  of  gold  and  are  valued  only  to 
the  extent  of  their  convertibility  into  gold.  To 
them  the  command  of  Christ  reads:  "Seek  first 
the  possession  of  wealth,  and  all  things  shall  be 
added  imto  you." 

In  one  of  the  art  galleries  at  Munich  hangs  a 
picture  which  vividly  portrays  the  Hfe  of  one  who 
seeks  wealth  with  his  whole  heart. 

It  depicts  a  narrow  highway  along  which  is 
rolling  a  golden  coin,  surmounted  by  a  shadowy, 


256         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

beckoning,  graceful  figure.  The  road  is  crowded 
with  men  and  women  who  are  rushing  madly 
after  the  golden  coin;  their  eyes  are  aflame 
with  eagerness  and  their  faces  are  drawn  with 
intense  desire;  on  a  galloping  horse  rides  a  man 
whose  eyes  are  fixed  upon  the  rolling  coin,  whose 
body  is  bent  over  the  neck  of  his  steed,  and  whose 
thoughts  are  focussed  on  the  wealth  ahead; 
clinging  to  him  is  his  wife,  who,  with  love  and 
devotion,  anxiety  and  fear,  written  on  her  face,  is 
endeavouring  to  remain  close  to  her  husband, 
but  he,  in  his  eagerness  to  obtain  the  coveted 
gold,  is  unconsciously,  imwittingly,  and  roughly 
pushing  her  from  him  as  he  feels  that  she  is  be- 
coming a  drag  upon  him  in  his  race  for  wealth. 
He  appears  to  be  obHvious  of  the  men  and  women 
in  his  path,  and  is  urging  his  horse  onward  toward 
the  golden  goal,  trampUng  upon  all  who  are  in 
his  way  and  leaving  behind  him  a  line  of  broken, 
bleeding,  crushed  men  and  women. 

The  neglect  to  use  one's  talents  in  the  securing 
of  property  brings  one  imder  the  condemnation 
of  Christ.  The  duty  of  man  is  to  earn  sufficient 
for  his  own  livelihood  and  for  those  who  are 
dependent  upon  him. 

Wealth  stands  for  a  more  abundant  life,  while 
poverty  implies  a  narrow,  cramped  existence. 
Wealth  is  of  value  in  so  far  as  it  forms  the 
material  basis  upon  which  human  life  may  be 
developed. 


Wealth  257 

While  wealth  is  good,  its  pursuit  is  not  worthy 
of  supreme  devotion ;  it  is  not  an  end  in  itself,  it  is 
but  a  subordinate  element  in  the  one  great  end 
of  making  the  world,  our  fellows  and  ourselves, 
what  God  would  have  us.  It  is  indispensable  as 
an  instnmient,  but  as  a  standard,  or  an  end  ia 
itself,  it  is  degrading. 

There  is  a  definite  personal  responsibility  rest- 
ing upon  the  individual  for  the  employment  of 
such  talents,  gifts,  opportunities,  and  property  as 
he  may  possess.  Over  against  the  right  to  own 
property,  Christianity  places  a  corresponding 
duty  on  its  possessor,  viz:  the  paramount  obliga- 
tion to  use  property  for  the  benefit  of  our  fellow 
men.  Whatever  one  may  own,  whether  talents 
or  property,  that  becomes  an  opportunity  for 
action;  and  all  opportunities  are  given  that  the 
steward  may  make  them  bear  interest.* 

Faithfulness  to  one's  duties  in  the  accumula- 
tion of  property  is  commended  by  Christ,  while 
unfaithfulness  He  distinctly  condemned.  He 
declared  that  if  one  cannot  be  faithful  to  the 
unrighteous  mammon,  he  is  imfit  to  be  entrusted 
with  the  true  riches. 

"He  that  is  faithful  in  that  which  is  least  is  faith- 
ful also  in  much:  and  he  that  is  unjust  in  the  least 
is  unjust  in  much. 

"If,  therefore,  ye  have  not  been  faithful  in  the 

»Matt.  XXV.,  14-30;  Luke  xix.,  11-27. 


258  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

unrighteous   mammon,   who   will   commit   to   your 
trust  the  true  riches? 

"And  if  ye  have  not  been  faithful  in  that  which  is 
another  man's,  who  shall  give  you  that  which  is  your 
own?"^ 

It  is  a  common  saying  in  this  twentieth  century, 
that  it  is  impossible  for  a  man  to  be  in  business 
and  at  the  same  time  to  live  a  Christian  life;  that 
the  teachings  of  Christ,  if  applied  to  business 
dealings,  would,  invariably,  cause  bankruptcy. 

History,  however,  records  the  indisputable 
fact,  that  there  have  been  Christians  who  have 
amassed  fortunes  in  trade,  and  what  has  been 
done  in  the  past  we  may  confidently  expect  can 
be  accomplished  to-day  and  to-morrow. 

Credit — that  trust  and  confidence  which  is  re- 
posed in  the  ability  and  intention  of  a  purchaser 
to  make  payment  at  some  future  time — is  the 
basis  of  all  business  life.  Without  credit,  or 
faith  in  the  honesty  of  one  another,  business  on  a 
large  scale  would  cease.  It  is  stated  upon 
recognised  authority  that  there  are  1,500,000 
business  houses  in  the  United  States,  and  the 
aggregate  volume  of  business  transacted  by  them 
in  1909  was  $88,000,000,000.  There  is  but 
$3,125,000,000  in  currency  in  the  United  States, 
which  would  provide  $2100  in  actual  money  to 
each  concern  in  business.  These  figures  signify 
that  96  per  cent,  of  this  vast  voltmie  of  business  in 

*  Luke  xvi.,  10-12. 


Wealth  259 

1909  was  handled  on  credit,  and  that  but  4  per 
cent,  of  actual  money  figiired  in  the  transactions. 
Honesty  is  enthroned  in  the  business  world,  and 
practically  all  business  men  kneel  at  her  shrine 
and  Hve  according  to  her  dictates. 

Some  men  enter  trade  or  business  with  the 
idea  that  trade  or  business  is  an  illicit  calling, 
and  that  to  succeed  they  must  adopt  sharp 
practices  or  secure  unfair  advantages. 

In   the   parable   of   the   talents,    Christ   said: 

"Then  he  that  had  received  the  five  talents  went 
and  traded  with  the  same,  and  made  them  other  five 
talents.  .  .  . 

"His  lord  said  unto  him,  Well  done,  thou  good  and 
faithful  servant:  thou  hast  been  faithful  over  a  few 
things,  I  will  make  thee  ruler  over  many  things: 
enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  lord."* 

If  trade  or  business  were  a  low,  debasing  call- 
ing, Christ  would  not  have  commended  the  suc- 
cessful trader  and  declared  him  worthy  to  enter 
into  the  joy  of  his  lord. 

The  manufacturer  who  transforms  the  crude 
material  into  something  of  use  to  humanity,  by 
risking  his  capital  and  expending  his  time  and 
strength,  ought  to  receive  a  profit  on  the  sale  of 
the  manufactured  products  as  rightfiilly  as  the 
labourer  receives  a  daily  wage  for  his  services. 

The  trader,  the  merchant,  who  gathers  from  afar 

'Matt.  XXV.,  16,  21. 


26o         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

supplies  and  comforts  necessary  for  the  people  of 
the  locality  in  which  he  trades,  and  who  spends 
his  time  and  risks  his  capital  in  the  collection, 
transportation,  and  handling  of  these  articles, 
should  obtain  a  profit  on  the  sale  of  such  goods. 

If  the  manufacturer  and  the  merchant  are 
entitled  to  receive  a  profit  on  the  sale  of  their 
goods,  what  is  the  amount  of  profit  that  would 
be  just  and  equitable? 

Prices  are  regulated  very  largely  by  the  law  of 
supply  and  demand.  The  individual  trader, 
unless  he  possesses  a  monopoly,  does  not  settle  the 
price,  but  is  bound  by  the  market  price,  and  if  he 
ignores  it  he  is  in  danger  of  bankruptcy. 

Men  who  have  a  practical  monopoly  through  the 
ownership  or  control  of  one  or  more  lines  of  indus- 
try, or  of  the  supply  of  raw  materials,  are  often 
in  the  position  to  fix  the  prices  arbitrarily  for 
their  products.  But  even  though  they  have 
this  power,  by  using  it  unfairly  and  unjustly  they 
run  a  grave  financial  risk,  and  it  is  only  in  very 
exceptional  cases  that  they  are  unhampered  and 
free  to  extort  from  the  people  all  the  profit  they 
may  desire. 

The  production  of  wealth  in  the  United  States 
is  increasing  so  rapidly  that  its  owners  are  per- 
sistently seeking  new  fields  for  investment,  and 
it  is  daily  becoming  more  difficult  to  find  employ- 
ment for  capital  even  at  nominal  returns.  It  is 
a  well-known  fact  that  there  is  a  large  amount 


Wealth  261 

of  idle  capital  in  the  control  of  enterprising  men 
who  are  ready  to  enter  any  specific  field  of  pro- 
duction should  the  profits  therein  offer  a  sufficient 
inducement. 

When  large  profits  are  in  prospect,  another 
combination  is  formed,  and  competition  then 
ensues  and  operates  with  such  an  intensity  that 
the  profits  become  reduced  to  a  minimum  and 
the  weaker  competitor  is  compelled  to  sell  out  to 
the  stronger,  or  to  go  out  of  business. 

This  competition  need  not  be  direct,  however, 
for  the  fear  of  competition  operates,  to  a  certain 
extent,  almost  as  effectually  as  the  competition 
itself  in  preventing  extortionate  charges. 

Another  partial  check  to  the  abuse  of  power 
lies  in  the  fact  that  there  are  on  the  market  sub- 
stitutes for  nearly  aU  articles  of  commerce,  which 
substitutes  would  be  used  exclusively  if  a  cheaper 
price  were  made  as  an  inducement.  There  are 
few,  if  any,  of  the  commodities  on  which  we 
depend  for  food,  shelter,  and  clothing,  which  the 
people  would  not  dispense  with  if  prices  rose  too 
high.  Prof.  Giddings  has  well  expressed  this 
human  trait  in  the  following  statement: 

"When  one  group  of  producers  demands  unusually 
high  prices,  all  other  groups  of  producers  can  very 
considerably  increase  their  sales  in  virtue  of  that 
law  of  human  nature  according  to  which  men  can 
and  do,  to  a  great  extent,  substitute  one  group  of 
conveniences   and   pleasures   for   another,   and   dis- 


262         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

tribute  their  expenditures  at  all  times  in  such  a  way 
as  to  obtain  the  greatest  satisfaction  for  a  given 
outlay." 

The  incessant  competition  that  is  being  carried 
on  by  the  producers  of  different  commodities 
which  are  claimed  to  satisfy  some  particular 
class  of  need,  cannot  be  done  away  with  by  the 
monopoly  of  any  one  of  them.  This  is  probably 
the  chief  explanation  for  the  comparatively  low 
prices  charged  by  the  Standard  Oil  Company. 
As  an  illuminant,  oil  is  competing  with  gas,  can- 
dles, and  electricity,  and  unless  the  Standard  Oil 
monopoly  were  extended  to  include  these  and  other 
possible  illuminants,  the  Company's  prices  could 
not,  for  any  length  of  time,  be  determined  by  the 
pressure  of  the  need  for  artificial  light. 

To  avoid  inviting  competition,  prices  must  be 
kept  within  reasonable  limits.  Unless  a  monopoly 
is  founded  on  some  exclusive  governmental  privi- 
lege, it  cannot  long  exist  if  it  is  not  based  upon 
superior  excellence  of  the  product,  coupled  with 
economy  of  manufacture,  and  a  reasonable  charge 
to  the  public. 

As  prices  are  governed  largely  by  the  law  of 
trade,  other  elements  besides  the  price  of  the 
article  may  enter  into  the  business  transaction,  i.e. : 

1.  Misrepresentation  as  to  the  quality  of  the 
article. 

2.  Misrepresentation  as  to  the  use  for  which 
the  article  may  be  put. 


Wealth  263 

3.  Misrepresentation  as  to  the  quantity  de- 
livered. 

Reputation  is  the  view  held  by  the  world  with 
regard  to  one's  character  and  life.  It  attaches  to 
every  human  being,  and,  in  the  long  run,  is  as 
accurate  a  pictiue  of  one's  quaUties,  peculiarities, 
and  principles,  as  is  a  silhouette  of  one's  body. 

Success  or  failure  in  business  depends  to  a 
large  extent  on  the  reputation  one  has  earned. 
If  a  man  is  looked  upon  as  a  crooked  or  sharp 
dealer,  few  care  to  trade  with  him;  but  if  he  is 
considered  honest  and  square  in  his  dealings, 
people  trust  him  and  give  him  their  trade. 

From  a  material  standpoint,  "Honesty  is  the 
best  policy";  from  a  Christian  standpoint,  it  is 
the  only  policy,  the  only  principle  which  should 
guide  one's  acts. 

In  modem  practice,  commerical  transactions 
representing  bilUons  of  dollars  per  annum  are 
made  on  the  strength  of  such  docimients  as  bills 
of  lading,  insurance  poHcies,  and  bills  of  exchange, 
because  of  the  people's  faith  in  the  business 
integrity  of  the  firms  involved  in  the  transaction. 

"Insurance  against  dishonesty  is  as  common  as 
against  any  other  catastrophe;  the  companies  stake 
their  business  upon  the  high  estimate  that  their  risks 
are  98  per  cent,  honest  and  the  profits  of  their  business 
show  that  this  is  true.  Of  credits  extended  by  com- 
mercial houses  the  overwhelming  majority  are  paid 
as  a  matter  of  course ;  the  losses  by  bad  debts  would 


264         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

be  enormous  at  3  per  cent,  of  the  transactions;  their 
common  average  range  is  from  ^  to  J  of  i  per  cent. ; 
and  the  premiums  of  the  credit  insurance  companies 
are  based  on  this  experience."* 

If,  however,  under  present  conditions,  it  is 
impossible  for  a  merchant  to  carry  on  business  on 
Christian  principles  without  ultimately  being 
forced  into  bankruptcy,  what  course  ought  he  to 
pursue?  In  an  address  to  law  students  on  the 
subject  of  honesty,  Abraham  Lincoln  said: 

" Resolve  to  be  honest  at  all  events;  and  if,  in  your 
own  judgment,  you  cannot  be  an  honest  lawyer, 
resolve  to  be  honest  without  being  a  lawyer.  Choose 
some  other  occupation,  rather  than  one  in  the  choos- 
ing of  which  you  do,  in  advance,  consent  to  be  a 
knave." 

Nineteen  hundred  years  ago,  men  suffered  even 
unto  death  for  the  sake  of  their  Christian  religion. 
To-day,  when  Christianity  and  business  methods 
come  into  conflict,  are  Christians  willing  to  follow 
the  example  of  their  forefathers  to  the  extent  of 
giving  up  the  chance  of  increasing  their  income 
for  the  sake  of  their  religion? 

Christ  asked:  "What  shall  it  profit  a  man  if 
he  gain  the  whole  world  and  lose  his  own  soul?" 
Is  this  life  all  there  is  to  a  human  soul?  If  it  is, 
then  is  there  truth  in  Christ's  saying:  "Man's 
life  consisteth  not  in  the  abundance  of  his  pos- 

'  Edward  D.  Page,  Morals  in  Modern  Business,  p.  5. 


Wealth  265 

sessions"?  Wealth  in  itself  is  not  a  happiness 
producer.  Wealth  may  be  an  aid  to  the  securing 
of  happiness,  but,  in  itself,  is  not  the  source  of 
happiness.  Happiness  is  the  result  of  living  the 
"Simple  Life,"  and  the  "Simple  Life"  depends 
solely  on  the  state  of  the  mind.  It  is  not  an 
outward,  but  an  inward  condition.  It  has  to  do, 
not  with  material  objects,  but  with  life  here  and 
now. 

To  attain  the  "Simple  Life,"  one  must  choose 
a  goal;  and  putting  aside  all  other  aims,  all  other 
desires,  all  other  ambitions,  walk  continually, 
enthusiastically,  and  imswervingly  toward  that 
one  chosen  ideal.  Singleness  of  aim,  directness 
of  purpose,  and  loyalty  to  the  adopted  mission  is 
the  secret  of  the  real  simpHcity  of  life. 

The  degree  of  happiness  to  be  enjoyed  on  one's 
earthly  journey  depends  on  one's  choice  of  a 
goal.  The  higher  and  nobler  the  purpose  of  life, 
the  purer  and  more  satisfying  will  be  the  happiness 
obtainable.  "Seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God," 
said  Christ,  and  "all  these  things  shall  be  added 
unto  you." 

If  this  life  is  not  the  end  of  the  soul's  existence, 
then  should  not  this  present  brief  pilgrimage  be 
sacrificed  in  order  to  possess  the  endless  life  in  the 
abode  beyond  the  grave? 

Christ  declared:  "If  any  man  will  come  after 
me,  let  him  deny  himself  and  take  up  his  cross  and 
follow  me.    For  whosoever  will  save  his  life  shall 


266  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

lose  it,  and  whosoever  will  lose  his  life  for  my 
sake  shall  find  it."' 

To  sacrifice  the  lower  for  the  higher,  present 
material  gains  for  spiritual  possessions,  is  a  duty 
entailed  on  the  individual  by  Christ.  By  choosing 
a  life  patterned  after  the  Master,  the  pursuit  of 
wealth  must  be  subordinated  to  the  develop- 
ment of  the  best  within.  The  inevitable  result 
of  such  a  choice  will  be,  not  only  happiness  here 
and  now,  but  happiness  which  will  not  "perish 
with  this  corporeal  clod." 

Administration  of  Wealth. — "The  Gospel 
has  prescribed  no  regulations  as  to  how  we  are  to 
use  (riches),  but  it  leaves  us  in  no  doubt  that 
we  are  to  regard  ourselves  not  as  owners  but  as 
administrators  in  the  service  of  our  neighbour,"" 
says  Prof.  Adolf  Hamack. 

Wealth  is  a  mighty  power,  and  it  may  be  a  dan- 
gerous power  for  him  who  holds  and  uses  it. 

Wealth  should  be  used,  for  its  non-use  renders 
it  valueless;  and  to  bury  the  talent  is  specifically 
condemned  by  Christ. 

Wealth  should  be  used  as  Christ  used  His 
power,  viz:  for  the  good  of  others. 

Clement  of  Alexandria  said:  "Earthly  prop- 
erty should  be  considered  in  the  light  of  a  staff, 
an  instrument  for  good  uses."^ 

Dr.  Martin  B.  Anderson  has  written:    "With 

»  Matt,  xvi.,  24,  25.  »  What  is  Christianity?  p.  loi. 

»  The  Salvation  of  Rich  Men. 


Wealth  267 

the  Christian,  wealth  is  mainly  to  be  valued  as  the 
evidence  of  industry  and  self-denial  on  the  part 
of  its  possessor,  and  as  a  means  of  elevating, 
purifying,  and  saving  men."^ 

"The  principle  that  wealth  is  a  trust  held  for  the 
general  good  is  not  to  be  disputed  [says  Prof.  Charles 
H.  Cooley],  but  latitude  must  be  left  to  individual 
conceptions  of  what  the  general  good  is.  These  are 
matters  not  for  formulas  or  sumptuary  laws,  but  for 
conscience.  To  set  up  any  other  standard  would  be 
to  suppress  individuality  and  do  more  harm  than 
good.'" 

"Jesus  was  not  interested  in  the  mechanism  of 
distribution;  he  could  have  known  nothing  of  it  as  it 
exists  to-day ;  but  that  does  not  exempt  it  from  the 
appUcation  of  the  test  of  his  spirit."^ 

It  is  a  common  saying,  and  one  to  which  many 
people  adhere,  that  it  matters  little  how  money 
is  spent  so  long  as  it  is  not  hoarded;  that  to 
hoard  money  is  a  wrong  against  society,  for  the 
hoarding  of  it  renders  it  valueless;  that  to  keep 
money  in  circulation  is  the  duty  resting  upon  its 
possessors;  and  that  he  who  spends  money  freely 
is  a  public  benefactor. 

Mr.  John  C.  Van  Dyke  has  written:  "If  the 
millions  of  the  millionaire  require  use  to  make 
them  valuable,  then  the  next  proposition  follows 

^  Papers  and  Addresses,  p.  220.     '  Social  Organisation,  p.  306. 
3  The  Churches  and  the  Wage-Earners,  by  C.  Bertrand  Thomp- 
son, p.  94. 


268         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

of  itself:  The  millions  cannot  be  used  without 
benefiting  other  people  as  well  as  their  owner."' 

Is  this  statement  as  to  the  spender  of  money 
being  a  public  benefactor  an  exact  truth?  Is 
not  the  community  affected  for  good  or  for  ill  in 
accordance  with  the  manner  in  which  money  is 
spent? 

The  answer  to  these  questions  must  be  looked 
for  in  three  directions:  first,  on  the  effect  the 
expenditure  of  money  has  upon  the  spender; 
second,  on  the  effect  the  expenditure  of  money  has 
upon  those  who  receive  it;  third,  on  the  effect 
the  expenditure  of  money  has  upon  the  com- 
munity at  large. 

First:  It  is  axiomatic  that  the  spending  of 
money  on  horse-racing,  gambling,  liquor,  and 
social  vice  has  no  good  effect  upon  the  spender. 
It  is  also  a  well-recognised  fact  that  the  spend- 
ing of  money  for  personal  luxuries  and  for  the 
gratification  of  pride  inevitably  weakens  the 
character  of  the  spender.  If  the  effect  of  spend- 
ing money  tends  to  narrow  or  degrade  the  spender, 
the  money  has  been  ill  spent ;  but  if  it  has  enlarged 
and  ennobled  his  character,  the  money  has  been 
well  spent. 

Second:  The  spending  of  money  sets  people  to 
work,  and  it  is  therefore  the  spender  who  deter- 
mines the  kind  of  work  people  shall  do.  Does  it 
do  the  receiver  good  when  the  money  encourages 

*  The  Money  God,  p.  123. 


Wealth  269 

him  to  gain  his  Hving  by  pandering  to  the  baser 
animal  nature  of  man,  through  gambling,  liquor, 
and  the  social  vice;  or  does  it  encourage  him  to 
find  employment  in  a  business  which  has  an 
elevating  influence?  If  the  materials  or  services 
furnished  have  an  injurious  effect  on  the  seller, 
then  the  more  money  that  is  spent  for  such 
materials  and  services,  the  greater  is  the,  harm 
done. 

Third:  That  which  is  purchased  with  the 
money  put  into  circulation  is  of  the  utmost 
importance  to  society. 

Does  the  money  spent  on  horse-racing,  gam- 
bling, liquor,  and  the  social  vice  benefit  the  com- 
munity? Does  it  profit  society  to  have  money 
used  to  perpetuate  such  callings?  Does  the 
money  put  in  circulation  through  these  channels 
tend  to  increase  the  social  welfare  of  the  people? 

Would  the  running  of  a  city  "wide-open,"  as 
some  people  advocate,  so  as  to  stimulate  and  in- 
crease the  spending  of  money,  be  of  value  to  the 
commimity  and  to  the  general  welfare  of  its 
citizens? 

If  the  commodities  the  money  buys  are  of  value 
to  the  community,  and  if  the  services  the  money 
buys  tend  to  ennoble  manhood  and  womanhood, 
then  the  money  is  well  spent. 

If  the  commodities  the  money  purchases  cause  a 
deterioration  in  the  physical,  mental,  or  moral 
being,  and  if  the  services  the  money  purchases 


270  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

degrade  the  spender  or  the  receiver,  then  such 
expenditure  is  productive  of  harm. 

Whatever  embitters,  degrades,  or  enslaves  one 
member  of  society  injures  the  whole  social  body, 
for  all  beings  composing  society  are  knit  together 
so  closely  that  the  lives  of  all  are  affected  by  the 
life  of  each  member. 

Much  greater  is  the  damage  done  to  society 
through  the  putting  of  money  into  a  business 
which  is  injurious  to  society,  than  is  the  good 
gained  by  the  free  circulation  of  that  amount 
of  money. 

But  do  mere  extravagances,  such  as  the  pur- 
chasing of  a  luxurious  home  beyond  the  needs  of 
the  owner,  the  setting  of  a  table  with  costly  foods 
beyond  the  requirements  of  the  members  of  the 
household,  the  buying  of  expensive  clothing 
beyond  the  necessities  of  the  individual,  deserve 
condemnation?  Rather,  do  they  not  deserve 
commendation  because  of  their  aid  in  the  dis- 
tribution of  wealth  and  the  furnishing  of  whole- 
some employment  to  those  who  might  otherwise 
be  in  want? 

Was  the  defence  offered  by  Louis  XIV.  of  France 
to  his  extravagant  expenditure  on  his  frivolous 
court  a  just  and  correct  one:  "When  a  king 
makes  a  great  outlay,  he  gives  alms"? 

This  question  might  be  considered  from  two 
aspects:  first,  have  we  a  right  to  consume  for  our 
pleasures    more    than    a    reasonable    amount    of 


Wealth  271 

money;  second,  are  we  justified  in  being  so  ex- 
travagant as  to  make  our  expenditures  an  ostenta- 
tious display  of  wealth? 

First:  Have  we  a  right  to  consume  for  our 
pleasures  more  than  a  reasonable  amoimt  of 
money? 

Money  may  be  used  for  altruistic  or  for  selfish 
ends.  If  used  for  self,  only  such  amount  should 
be  expended  as  would  reasonably  take  care  of  the 
individual  in  his  housing,  food,  clothes,  and 
pleasures, — all  excess  expenditures  being  im- 
christian.  What  is  meant  by  modest,  imostenta- 
tious  living  is  almost  impossible  to  explain,  for 
there  exist  different  standards  for  different  con- 
ditions. 

"The  question  whether  a  given  commodity  is 
to  be  considered  as  a  decency  or  a  luxury  is 
obviously  one  to  which  no  answer  can  be  given," 
remarks  Prof.  Senior,  "imless  the  place,  the  time, 
and  the  rank  of  the  individual  using  it  be 
specified." 

There  are  almost  as  many  definitions  and  con- 
ceptions of  the  term  luxury  as  there  are  writers 
upon  the  subject.  Adam  Smith  states  his  views 
as  follows: 

"Consumable  commodities  are  either  necessaries 
or  luxuries.  By  necessaries  I  understand  not  only 
the  commodities  which  are  indispensably  necessary 
for  the  support  of  life,  but  whatever  the  custom  of 
the  country  renders  it  indecent  for  creditable  people, 


2^2  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

even  of  the  lowest  order,  to  be  without.  .  .  .     All 
other  things  I  call  luxuries." 

Professor  Ely's  conception  is  that  "luxuries 
are  things  which  minister  to  such  undesirable 
wants  as  love  of  display,  vanity,  or  selfish  desire 
to  exalt  one's  self  above  one's  fellows  and  thus 
to  produce  separation." 

M.  Baudrillat  says  in  substance  that  every- 
thing superfluous  is  a  l\ixury;  while  J.  N.  Say 
characterises  as  luxuries  those  commodities  which 
are  both  superfluous  and  dear. 

M.  de  Laveleye  says;  "I  designate  as  an 
object  of  luxury  everything  that  does  not  answer 
to  some  primary  need,  and  which,  costing  much 
money  and  consequently  much  labour,  is  within 
the  reach  of  only  a  small  number  of  persons."'' 

Prof.  Thomas  Francis  Moran  has  wisely  said: 

"It  is  not  reasonable  to  place  an  absolute  ban 
upon  luxuries,  and  place  art,  music,  and  foreign  travel 
in  the  same  category  with  gluttony,  debauchery,  and 
sensuality.  It  is  certainly  a  fact  that  many  of  the 
so-called  luxuries  are  highly  conducive  to  better 
living.  ...  It  must  be  apparent,  then,  that  there 
are  luxuries  which  ennoble  and  luxuries  which  degrade, 
those  which  tend  to  make  possible  the  highest  self- 
realisation  of  the  individual  and  the  race,  and  those 
which  militate  against  such  a  happy  issue."*  j 

'  "Morals of  Luxury," Poptt/cr  Science  Monthly, March,  i88l. 
»  "Ethics  of   Wealth,"  Am.   Journal  of  Sociology,  vol.  vi., 
p.  834. 


Wealth  273 

The  luxuries  an  individual  purchases  should 
be  governed  by  the  Christian  ideal — that  is,  the 
purchasing  of  only  those  things  which  tend  to 
support,  upbmld,  ennoble,  and  dignify  life,  and 
awaken  and  cultivate  all  the  powers  of  being. 

Prof.  Richard  T.  Ely  wisely  sums  up  a  Christ- 
ian's duty  regarding  the  piurchase  of  luxuries  in 
these  words: 

"A  Christian  may  say,  If  I  love  my  neighbour  as 
myself,  my  necessities  are  as  important  as  his. 
True,  but  my  comforts  are  not  as  important  as  his 
necessities,  nor  are  my  luxuries  and  superfltuties  as 
important  as  my  neighbour's  comforts.  Luxury  can 
never  be  indulged  in  by  a  Christian  so  long  as  he  can 
minister  to  the  well-being  of  others,  and  supply  them 
with  material  goods  helpful  for  their  development; 
and  this  forever  renders  luxury  an  impossibility  for  a 
Christian."' 

Second:  Ostentatious  display  of  wealth — the 
spending  for  one's  self  more  than  is  reasonably 
required,  while  many  himian  beings  are  in  dire 
need  of  the  barest  necessities  of  life — ^fosters  dis- 
content, awakens  envy,  and  creates  class  hatred. 

The  newspapers  report,  with  glaring  headlines 
and  large  illustrations,  all  displays  of  luxury. 
It  is  impossible  for  a  rich  man  or  woman  who 
spends  money  on  a  large  scale  for  a  social  func- 
tion to  keep  such  act  from  being  reported  to  the 

'  Social  Aspects  of  Christianity,  pp.  36,  37. 


274         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

world.  In  our  large  cities,  the  examples  of 
Cleopatra  and  Lucnllus  in  the  scattering  of  wealth 
for  the  purchase  of  luxuries  are  equalled  by  hun- 
dreds of  our  present-day  aristocrats.  The  effect 
of  such  large  expenditure  is  that,  while  many 
are  given  employment,  this  good  is  more  than  off- 
set by  the  feelings  of  discontent,  envy,  and  hatred 
which  are  born  in  the  hearts  of  those  less  fortunate 
in  possessing  wealth.  The  reports  of  the  garish 
display  and  foolish  extravagance  of  the  rich 
cause  socialism  and  anarchy  to  thrive  and  tend  to 
undermine  individual  character  and  disintegrate 
social  life. 

The  "yellow  journals**  and  many  serious  pub- 
lications are  continually  warning  the  pubHc  that 
the  trend  of  American  national  life  is  downward 
as  a  result  of  the  concentration  of  wealth  in  the 
hands  of  a  few  citizens.  Comparisons  are  made 
between  the  conditions  which  exist  in  America 
to-day  and  those  which  existed  in  the  latter  days 
of  Babylon,  of  Greece,  and  of  Rome.  Insistence 
is  placed  upon  the  fact  that  these  old  nations 
fell  because  the  wealth  was  owned  by  but  a  few 
of  the  people,  and  the  lesson  drawn  is,  that  the 
United  States  is  rapidly  going  the  way  of  these 
ancient  empires — to  destruction  and  to  final 
extinction. 

Do  these  comparisons  warrant  any  such  con- 
clusion? History  reveals  the  fact  that  every 
ancient  nation  that  became  a  leader  in  the  de- 


Wealth  275 

velopment  of  human  enlightenment  and  well-being 
has  fallen  into  decay.  Looking  back  through 
the  years,  it  is  easy  to  discern  the  causes  that 
placed  one  people  after  another  in  the  van  of 
human  progress,  as  well  as  the  reasons  for  their 
successive  degradation.  The  Hfe  of  the  people 
and  the  conditions  surrounding  their  country 
have  given  an  appearance  of  variety  to  these 
causes,  but  in  all  cases  the  main  features  have 
been  the  same.  The  principles  that  luiderly' 
all  those  changes  and  conditions  suffer  no  varia- 
tion through  the  ages.  The  fate  which  befell 
the  Babylonian,  the  Greek,  and  the  Roman  Em- 
pires will  be  repeated  in  the  future,  should  the 
conditions  which  existed  in  those  countries  be 
reproduced  in  any  nation  of  the  present  day. 

So  far  as  the  concentration  of  wealth  in  the 
hands  of  the  few  is  concerned,  so  far  is  the  com- 
parison between  these  old  nations  and  our  coun- 
try correct.  But  right  here  the  divergence 
begins.  Wealth  in  those  ancient  countries  was 
the  symbol  of  ease.  The  rich  men  of  Rome,  as 
well  as  of  Greece  and  of  Babylon,  Hved  unto 
themselves.  Their  ambition  was  to  enjoy  all  lux- 
uries and  to  spend  only  for  the  gratification  of  the 
senses.  No  thought  was  given  to  the  good  they 
might  do  for  their  fellows  by  opening  up  new 
lines  of  activity  wherein  men  could  find  profitable 
employment.  No  effort  was  made  to  use  their 
wealth  for  the  uplifting  of  humanity  by  dignify- 


276  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

ing  labour  and  providing  work  for  the  labourer. 
Their  money  was  withdrawn  from  the  avenues  of 
trade  and  invested  in  the  pleasures  and  in  the 
unsubstantials  of  life.  Public  sentiment,  debased 
by  the  mode  of  life  of  the  so-called  upper  classes, 
upheld  and  applauded  the  wealthy  idlers  in  the 
manner  in  which  they  wasted  their  substance 
and  abused  their  powers.  Babylon,  Greece,  and 
Rome  fell,  not  because  wealth  was  concentrated, 
but  because  wealth  was  devoted  to  personal 
selfish  enjoyment.  So  long  as  the  wealth  of  a 
nation  is  devoted  to  liixurious  living  instead  of 
being  employed  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  indi- 
vidual life,  the  nation  will  decay  and  ultimately 
die  and  disappear. 

The  Curses  of  Money. — Wealth  may  prove 
a  curse  in  innumerable  ways,  some  of  the  most 
familiar  being  the  following: 

(i)  To  the  man  who  makes  the  attainment  of 
wealth  the  sole  aim  of  his  life. 

Money  worship — the  belief  that  money  alone  is 
omnipotent — inevitably  produces  disappointment, 
dissatisfaction,  discontent;  for  possession  chloro- 
forms desire;  and,  like  the  blue- winged  butterfly 
of  Cashmere, 

"The  lovely  toy  so  fiercely  sought 
Hath  lost  its  charms  by  being  caught." 

(2)     To  the  man  who  has  hoarded  wealth  to  an 


Wealth  277 

amount  beyond  the  reasonable  requirements  of 
himself  and  his  dependents. 

With  increase  of  wealth,  comes  a  corresponding 
increase  of  labour,  thought,  and  anxiety,  for  which 
the  owner  receives  no  adequate  return.  The 
labour  and  capacity  required  to  keep  wealth  are 
often  greater  than  were  required  to  amass  it; 
so  that  the  simset  of  life,  instead  of  fulfilling  the 
dreams  of  youth,  by  being  a  period  of  ease  and 
peaceful  happiness,  becomes  a  time  when  the 
rich  man  tremtdously  staggers  imder  his  load  of 
cares  and  responsibilities. 

(3)  To  the  man  who  is  bom  to  wealth. 

The  knowledge  that  a  man  possesses  wealth 
sufficient  to  relieve  him  from  the  ordinary  neces- 
sity of  working  for  his  Uving,  in  all  but  exceptional 
cases,  strikes  with  paralysis  the  motives  to  per- 
sonal exertion,  and  thereby  prevents  the  develop- 
ment of  the  fullest  and  richest  in  manhood. 

(4)  To  the  man  who  has  gained  wealth  by 
some  kind  of  robbery,  whether  legalised  or  not, 
and  who,  having  repented,  desires  to  use  his 
wealth  for  the  good  of  mankind. 

Wealth  is  considered  by  many  to  be  entirely 
impersonal,  imimpressionable,  and  untainted  by 
the  sins  of  its  owner.  This  may  be  so,  but  in 
the  distribution  of  wealth,  the  life  of  its  distribu- 
tor is  temporarily  impressed  upon  it,  making 
it  productive  of  good  or  of  evil.  Therefore,  he 
who  has  obtained  wealth   by   wrecking  proper- 


278         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

ties,  destroying  securities,  violating  laws,  tam- 
pering with  courts,  bribing  city  councils,  and 
grinding  the  life  out  of  human  beings,  ought  to 
think  well  on  this  fact  when  he  attempts  to  dis- 
tribute his  wealth  for  the  uplift  of  mankind. 

To  give  to  a  church  money  gained  by  nefarious 
methods  may  do  some  good,  but  it  will  also  be 
productive  of  much  harm,  if  the  church  which 
accepts  it  is  aware  of  how  the  money  was  obtained, 
for  it  will  be  tempted  to  refrain  from  criticising  the 
financial  methods  of  the  donor,  and  by  its  silence 
will  condone  such  practices.  Though  the  accept- 
ance of  such  money  be  coupled  with  no  con- 
ditions, the  church  will  not  be  apt  to  assail  the 
deeds  of  the  man  who  has  placed  it  under  obliga- 
tions, and  the  pulpit  will  find  it  almost  impossible 
to  condemn  the  wrongs,  the  doing  of  which  en- 
abled the  donor  to  give  the  money.  It  is,  there- 
fore, reasonable  to  expect  that  the  acceptance  of 
tainted  money  will  muzzle  the  pulpit  so  that  no 
message  will  be  forthcoming  to  guide  the  young 
away  from  those  business  paths  which  degrade 
manhood. 

In  accepting  money  which  had  been  gained  un- 
lawfully or  unrighteously,  a  college  would  probably 
cease  condemning "  the  iniquitious  methods  prac- 
tised by  the  man  who  gave  the  endowment. 
Few  collegiate  institutions  would  accept  money 
and  then  condemn  the  way  that  such  money  was 
gained  by  the  donor.     Few  colleges  would  accept 


Wealth  279 

money,  whether  tainted  by  evil  or  honestly 
earned,  without  paying  honour  to  the  donor;  and 
to  pay  honour  to  a  man  for  a  gift  of  that  which 
was  not  honestly  or  honourably  gained,  would  in- 
cite the  students  to  do  those  things  which  it  is 
the  mission  of  colleges  to  condemn. 

If  the  pernicious  manner  in  which  the  wealth 
was  gained  could  be  hidden  from  mankind,  such 
gifts  to  churches  and  colleges  wotdd  be  produc- 
tive of  good ;  but  in  this  twentieth  century,  when 
the  acts  of  men  are  observed  and  paraded  through 
the  columns  of  the  daily  press,  no  unlawful  or 
unchristian  act  can  long  remain  in  secrecy. 

If  the  institution  and  the  public  are  ignorant 
of  the  evil  sources  from  which  the  money  came, 
no  contamination  follows  the  coin;  but  if  it  is 
known  that  the  source  from  which  the  money 
came  was  evil,  then  but  little  good  can  come  to 
those  who  receive  it. 

Could  anything  cut  more  deeply  than  a  refusal 
to  accept  a  proffered  gift  of  money  on  account  of 
the  way  in  which  it  had  been  earned?  He  who 
endeavours  to  quiet  the  protests  of  his  conscience 
against  wrong-doing,  by  promising  to  use  wealth 
imjustly  gained  for  the  benefit  of  mankind,  should 
realise  clearly  the  diffictilty  he  will  meet  in  putting 
tainted  money  to  good  uses,  and  the  mortification 
he  may  experience  in  an  attempt  to  use  it  for  the 
uplift  of  man.  Fiirther,  he  should  realise  that 
"devotion  to  charity  of  the  superfluity  of  wealth 


28o         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

unscrupulously  gained"  will  redeem  his  life  no 
more  than  did  the  act  of  the  "man  with  one 
wooden  leg,  who  stole  a  pair  of  boots  and  gave 
away  the  odd  boot  in  charity." 

The  Blessings  of  Money. — To  a  Christian, 
the  possession  of  wealth  becomes  a  blessing.  To 
be  a  Christian  is  to  "seek  first  the  kingdom  of 
God,"  to  serve  but  one  Master,  Jesus  Christ;  and 
to  love  wholeheartedly  our  Father  in  heaven  and 
our  brothers  on  earth. 

To  a  Christian,  wealth  is  not  an  end,  but  a 
means;  not  the  goal  of  ambition,  but  a  power  for 
good. 

To  give  for  the  sake  of  giving,  or  for  ostenta- 
tious glory,  or  to  win  approbation  from  one's 
fellows,  does  not  obtain  commendation  from 
Christ.      "Verily  .  .  .  they  have  their  reward." 

The  ways  in  which  money  may  be  spent  in 
order  to  be  of  service  to  the  community  and  to  be 
of  lasting  benefit  to  the  people  are  innumerable. 

Andrew  Carnegie,  from  his  wide  experience, 
has  written:  "It  is  well  to  remember  that  it 
requires  the  exercise  of  not  less  ability  than  that 
which  acquires  it,  to  use  wealth  so  as  to  be  really 
beneficial  to  the  commtmity."* 

The  indiscriminate  giving  of  alms  may  be  pro- 
ductive of  unlimited  evil.  The  mere  giving  of 
money  is  not  necessarily  charity.  It  may  be 
given  in  such  a  way  as  to  destroy  the  self-respect 

»  Gospel  of  Wealth,  p.  lo. 


Wealth  281 

of  the  recipients,  and  thereby  train  up  a  class 
willing  to  live  upon  the  pubHc  bounty  and  to  shirk 
the  responsibilities  of  using  their  talents  for  s^lf- 
development  and  for  the  good  of  mankind. 

He  who  suppHes  the  wants  of  the  poor  in  such 
a  way  as  to  lessen  their  motives  to  labour, 
and  inculcates  in  them  a  desire  to  Hve  upon  the 
munificence  of  the  public,  so  far  trains  them  to 
beggary  and  to  crime. 

"In  bestowing  charity  [says  Andrew  Carnegie] 
the  main  consideration  should  be  to  help  those  who 
will  help  themselves;  to  provide  part  of  the  means 
by  which  those  who  desire  to  improve  may  do  so; 
to  give  those  who  desire  to  rise  the  aids  by  which 
they  may  rise ;  to  assist,  but  rarely  or  never  to  do  aU."  * 

I  Mr.  Carnegie's  enumeration  of  what  he  deems 
to  be  the  "best  fields  of  philanthropy"  is  as  fol- 
lows: colleges  and  universities,  a  free  Ubrary  "pro- 
vided the  community  will  accept  and  maintain  it 
as  a  pubHc  institution,"  "the  foimding  or  exten- 
sion of  hospitals,  medical  colleges,  laboratories, 
and  other  institutions  connected  with  the  allevia- 
tion of  htunan  suffering,  and  especially  with  the 
prevention  rather  than  the  cure  of  human  ills"; 
pubHc  parks,  "always  provided  that  the  com- 
munity undertakes  to  maintain,  beautify,  and 
preserve  them  inviolate";  "providing  our  cities 
with  halls  suitable  for  meetings  of  all  kinds,  and 

'  Gospel  of  Wealth,  p.  17. 


282  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

for  concerts  of  elevating  music" ;  public  swimming 
baths  for  the  people  when  the  city  agrees  "to 
maintain  them  at  its  own  expense";  building 
or  repairing  churches,  but  "the  support  of  the 
church  should  be  upon  its  own  people."^ 

Better,  by  far,  than  the  suggestions  made  by 
Mr.  Carnegie  for  the  physical,  mental,  moral,  and 
spiritual  improvement  of  the  less  fortunate  of 
mankind,  is  the  counsel  of  Emil,  that  "the  most 
earnest  effort  of  every  true  friend  of  the  poor 
must  always  be  directed  toward  making  poor- 
relief  itself  superfluous." 

Commendable,  indeed,  is  the  welfare  work  which 
is  being  carried  on  in  many  maniifacturing  estab- 
lishments to-day.  Much  good  is  accomplished  by 
"social  secretaries,"  or  persons  who  devote  their 
time  to  looking  after  the  welfare  of  the  employees 
during  working  hours,  as  well  as  by  means  of  rest, 
lunch  and  club  rooms,  gymnasia,  baths,  libraries, 
old-age  pensions,  insiu-ance  against  accidents,  and 
beneficiary  societies. 

While  libraries,  gymnasia,  and  club  rooms  may 
be  of  considerable  benefit  to  employees,  yet  if  the 
employees  receive  wages  which  are  insufficient 
to  provide  a  fairly  proper  and  decent  standard  of 
living  for  themselves  and  their  families,  the 
money  spent  in  equipping  and  maintaining  such 
establishments  for  industrial  betterment,  might 
better  be  used  in  increasing  the  wages  of  the  un- 

*  Gospel  of  Wealth,  pp.  19-41. 


Wealth  283 

derpaid  employees,  for  a  man  who  earns  less  than 
is  necessary  for  the  support  of  his  family  needs 
nothing  so  much  as  more  pay. 

The  chief  duty  of  an  employer  of  labour  is  to 
pay  his  employees  a  living  wage.  But,  say  the 
employers,  we  cannot  pay  higher  wages  than  do 
our  competitors  and  remain  in  the  business  arena. 
There  is  much  truth  in  this  statement,  but  so 
long  as  the  employer  makes  no  attempt  to  bring 
about  the  estabhshment  of  a  living  wage  as  a 
minimum  in  the  industry  in  which  he  is  engaged, 
he  is  neglecting  his  Christian  duty,  and  thus  he 
becomes  responsible  for  the  evils  arising  out  of 
the  necessity  which  is  laid  upon  his  employees 
of  obtaining  the  additional  amoimt  requisite  to 
provide  the  decencies  of  life.  To  eke  out  the 
family  income,  so  as  to  meet  the  absolutely  nec- 
essary expenses,  the  wife  is  often  compelled  to 
seek  employment  outside  the  home,  leaving  the 
young  children  imcared  for,  or  the  older  children 
are  obliged  to  forego  the  advantages  of  schooUng 
in  order  that  they  may  add  their  mite  to  the 
family  piu*se;  or  boarders  must  be  taken  even  at 
the  expense  of  overcrowding  and  loss  of  privacy. 
The  consequences  which  follow  as  a  result  of  a 
man  being  paid  a  wage  insufficient  for  the  support 
of  his  family  are  infant  mortaHty,  immorality, 
truancy,  illiteracy,  juvenile  delinquency,  stunted 
vitality,  disease,  "progressive  deterioration,"  and 
poor  citizenship. 


284         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

"What  elements  must  enter  into  the  minimum 
standard  of  family  support?"  asked  Charles  R. 
Henderson.     In  reply,  Mr.  Henderson  said: 

"It  is  not  difficult  to  answer  this  part  of  the  ques- 
tion. In  every  civilised  country,  in  every  part  of  each 
land,  in  town  and  in  rural  communities,  certain  things 
are  necessary  to  the  life  of  mortal  beings.  These  things 
may  be  roughly  classified  under  the  heads  food  and 
drink,  shelter,  clothing,  light  and  fuel,  furniture  and 
furnishings,  means  of  transportation  (car-fares),  pro- 
visions for  sickness  and  accidents,  dental,  surgical, 
and  other  care  of  health,  recreation,  and  incidental 
but  unavoidable  expenses.  In  order  that  these 
material  means  may  be  continuously  supplied  even 
during  periods  when  the  bread-winner  cannot  work 
and  earn,  as  in  sickness,  unemployment,  and  old  age, 
there  must  be  some  kind  of  a  savings  or  insurance 
fund.  Not  one  of  these  elements  can  be  left  out; 
and,  if  any  one  is  omitted,  life  ceases  or  degrading 
alms  must  eke  out  the  income."^ 

Many  of  the  social  evils,  if  traced  to  their 
source,  will  be  found  to  be  the  outcome  of  a  wage 
insufficient  for  the  support  of  life.  Not  only  are 
the  men  who  employ  labour  responsible  for  the 
downfall  and  degradation  of  their  employees,  but 
even  women,  in  some  cases,  share  in  causing 
such  misery.  Prof.  Walter  Rauschenbusch  has 
said: 

'  Social  Duties,  p.  54. 


Wealth  285 

"Take  a  manufacturer.  Assume  he  has  a  wife 
who  is  ambitious  for  social  honours.  She  spends 
more  than  his  income  really  warrants.  To  meet  her 
demands,  he  must  economise  somewhere.  He  re- 
duces the  wages  of  the  hundred  girls  employed  in  his 
factory,  or  at  least  denies  them  the  increase  which 
the  increased  cost  of  living  makes  necessary  to  them. 
When  the  crisis  comes  to  these  poor  girls,  99  out  of 
the  100  may  remain  good,  and  one  goes  astray.  Is 
not  that  woman  responsible  for  that  wreck  of  at  least 
one  soul?" 

Waldron's  handbook  of  Currency  and  Wealth 
contains  the  following  estimate  of  incomes  earned 
in  the  United  States: 

"One  in  twenty  of  the  families  is  able  to  secure  an 
income  of  $3000  a  year  and  over. 

"Two- thirds  of  the  families  get  less  than  $900  per 
year. 

"More  than  one-half  gets  less  than  $600  per  year. 

"While  more  than  4,000,000  families,  comprising 
one-third  of  the  nation,  must  get  along  on  an  income 
of  less  than  $400  per  year." 

In  most  of  the  large  cities  of  the  United  States, 
many  department-store  girls  are  paid  wages  which 
are  about  $2.00  a  week  less  than  is  necessary  for 
their  support  while  living  independently;  and  a 
large  majority  of  common  imskilled  day  labour- 
ers receive  in  annual  wages  $100  or  more  less 
than  the  amount  necessary  to  maintain  a  proper 


286         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

standard  of  living  for  their  families.  This  con- 
dition compels  the  underpaid  department- store 
girls,  who  are  living  away  from  home  and  are 
dependent  solely  upon  their  earnings,  to  either 
deprive  themselves  of  some  of  the  things  requisite 
for  a  healthy  mode  of  life,  or  to  earn  outside  of 
store  hours  the  additional  sums  necessary  for 
their  support.  While  the  underpaid  day  labourer 
is  forced  to  deprive  his  family  of  sanitary  and 
uncrowded  housing,  sufficient  and  wholesome  food, 
proper  clothing,  and  the  advantages  of  American 
life,  or  else  some  of  the  members  of  his  family 
must  become  wage-earners  to  the  detriment  of  the 
integrity  of  the  family  and  to  the  injury  of  the 
social  body. 

The  Christian's  duty  to  love  one's  neighbour  im- 
plies the  paying  to  one's  employee  a  wage  which 
is  at  least  sufficient  to  enable  him  to  support  his 
family  in  a  healthful  and  decent  manner. 

An  employer  who  is  making  money  out  of  the 
labour  of  men  and  women  should  conduct  his 
business  in  such  a  way  that  his  employees  will 
not  be  degraded,  or  discouraged,  or  embittered 
by  the  employment. 

The  employee  is  affected,  physically,  mentally, 
morally,  and  socially,  for  good  or  ill,  by  the  work 
he  is  doing,  by  the  conditions  under  which  the 
work  is  done,  by  the  influences  surrounding  him 
in  his  work,  and  by  the  relationship  which  exists 
between  him  and  his  employer. 


Wealth  287 

The  employer  should  remember  that  whoever 
works  for  him,  whether  it  be  the  mechanic  in  his 
shop,  the  girl  behind  his  counter,  the  hostler  in  his 
stable,  or  the  maid  in  his  kitchen,  is  a  child  of  God 
and  is  his  brother  or  sister.  His  attitude  toward 
them  should  be,  how  much  good  can  I  do  them? 
rather  than,  how  much  profit  can  I  make  out  of 
them? 

How  to  use  wealth  so  as  to  derive  from  it  the 
greatest  amount  of  personal  benefit  is  clearly- 
set  forth  in  the  inscription  written  by  Mr.  Watts 
beneath  the  picture  of  a  dead  man:  "What 
I  saved,  I  lost;  what  I  spent,  I  had;  what  I  gave, 
I  have." 

Corporations. — One  of  the  earliest  social 
manifestations  about  which  we  have  any  know- 
ledge is  the  practice  of  co-operation.  It  had  its 
birth  in  man's  instinct  for  self -protection  and 
self-preservation,  and  in  the  earliest  stages  of  social 
development  took  the  form  of  village  communi- 
ties, clans,  tribes,  and  nations.  Step  by  step 
in  the  progress  of  civilisation  this  spirit  of  associa- 
tion has  been  developing  in  the  social  and  political 
life  and  in  the  industrial  and  commercial  world. 

Although  slower  in  its  development  than  the 
social  and  political  movements,  the  industrial 
evolution  has  been  going  on,  steadily  and  per- 
sistently, through  various  forms  of  organisation, 
until  our  age  is  confronted  with  vast  combina- 
tions   of    tremendous    and    far-reaching    power. 


288         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

This  movement  has  developed  from  the  individual 
in  business  to  the  partnership,  from  the  partner- 
ship to  the  small  corporation,  from  the  small 
corporation  to  the  pool,  from  the  pool  to  the  trust, 
and  from  the  trust  to  the  giant  corporation. 

The  giant  corporation  is  the  latest  phase  in 
the  growth  of  the  principle  of  co-operation,  and  is 
solely  the  result  of  the  evolution  of  industrial 
progress  amid  certain  well-known  natural  eco- 
nomic conditions,  and  is  in  no  sense  an  excres- 
cence on  the  commercial  and  industrial  body 
politic. 

Ninety  per  cent,  of  all  business  transacted  in 
the  United  States  is  done  by  corporations.  The 
corporation  is  here  to  stay  and  is  a  power  that 
must  be  faced  and  reckoned  with.  It  has  a 
"Dr.  Jekyll  and  Mr.  Hyde"  character,  and  while 
its  good  features  are  of  incalculable  value,  its  evil 
tendencies  constitute  a  grave  danger. 

Every  corporation  or  consolidation  of  corpora- 
tions is  not  necessarily  a  public  danger  or  a  social 
evil.  Corporations  being  organised  to  enable  men, 
as  a  collective  body,  to  do  what  each  member  may 
do  as  an  individual,  are  no  better  and  no  worse 
than  the  individuals  who  manage  them.  The 
corporate  charter  is  only  a  cloak  covering  the  men 
upon  whom  it  rests. 

"Corporations  have  no  souls,"  is  the  common 
maxim.  This  is  understood  to  mean  that  cor- 
porations are  endowed  by  law  with  all  the  rights 


Wealth  289 

of  property,  while  they  are  emancipated  from  its 
corresponding  duties. 

"In  joining  to  create  a  corporation,  a  man  iso- 
lates a  certain  part  of  himself,  a  certain  wish 
or  purpose,  and  sends  it  off  by  itself,  so  to  speak, 
to  work  independently  of  the  rest  of  his  aims  and 
impulses.  Other  men  do  the  same,  and  the  result 
is  essentially  mechanical  and  not  himian.  The  man, 
as  a  moral  whole,  is  not  in  it;  it  is  only  a  fagot  of 
parallel  interests."  * 

Many  corporate  directors  recognise  but  one 
duty,  that  of  making  the  corporation  pay  divi- 
dends. Corporate  officers  are  men  placed  in 
power  to  produce  residts.  What  methods  they 
pursue  to  gain  results  are  but  too  often  im- 
questioned,  and,  as  a  consequence,  the  officers 
are  apt  to  go  to  any  length  in  order  to  hold  their 
positions  and  to  obtain  an  increase  in  their  salaries. 
If  the  price  of  the  finished  product  can  be  raised 
without  losing  the  market,  this  course  will  be 
adopted;  if  secret  rebates  or  hidden  preferences 
can  be  secured,  often  these  will  be  accepted ;  if  the 
wages  of  labour  can  be  forced  downward,  that  will 
be  done.  "Do  everything  to  increase  the  divi- 
dends," is  the  order  given  by  the  stockholders. 

In  many  instances,  there  is  no  human  touch 
between  the  officers  of  the  corporation  and  its 
servants.     Dollars   and   dividends  are   the  only 

'  Cooley  on  Personal  Competition,  p.  110. 


290         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

things  corporately  considered,  man  being  viewed 
as  a  mere  cog  in  the  great  corporate  machine. 
The  prevailing  idea  that  the  only  bond  between 
the  employer  and  employee  is  that  which  money 
has  created,  and  that  when  money  has  been  ex- 
changed for  work  the  bond  ceases,  is  directly  in 
conflict  with  the  fimdamental  teachings  of  Christ. 

A  great  English  economist  has  remarked  that 
"factory  acts  are  a  disgrace."  By  this  he  meant 
that,  in  these  civilised  days,  it  ought  not  to  have 
been  necessary  to  enact  laws  regulating  the  em- 
ployment of  human  beings,  nor  to  have  prescribed 
severe  penalties  in  order  to  induce  men  to  cease 
from  treating  their  employees  as  mere  machines. 
Anyone  who  reads  the  legal  provisions  regarding 
women's  and  children's  labour  will  understand 
this  point. 

To-day,  men  are  doing  under  the  corporate 
cloak  that  which  they  would  not  dare  to  do  in  the 
open.  They  are  doing  through  others  what  they 
would  fear  to  do  themselves.  A  corporation,  re- 
presenting, as  it  does,  the  interests  of  many,  is 
assumed  to  represent  the  composite  wishes  of  its 
stockholders.  The  manager  excuses  his  acts  by 
insisting  that  he  is  but  obeying  the  orders  of  the 
officers  of  the  corporation;  the  officers  shift  their 
responsibility  upon  the  shoulders  of  the  directors; 
while  the  directors  lay  the  blame  upon  the  stock- 
holders; and  the  stockholders  deny  liability  by 
pleading  ignorance  of  what  the  corporation  does. 


Wealth  291 

Men  who  share  in  the  profits  of  a  corporation 
ought,  in  all  fairness,  to  share  in  the  responsibili- 
ties for  the  right  and  just  use  of  the  corporate 
franchise  and  property,  in  the  same  way  as  the 
individual  proprietor  suffers  for  the  misuse  of 
his  property  and  his  unfair  methods  of  conducting 
business. 

Prof.  Edward  A.  Ross  says: 

"The  man  who  picks  pockets  with  a  railway 
rebate,  murders  with  an  adulterant  instead  of  a 
bludgeon,  burglarises  with  a  'rake-off*  instead  of  a 
jimmy,  cheats  with  a  company  prospectus  instead  of 
a  deck  of  cards,  or  scuttles  his  town  instead  of  a  ship, 
does  not  feel  on  his  brow  the  brand  of  a  malefactor.  .  .  . 

"The  providing  of  unsuspecting  passengers  with 
*  cork '  life-preservers  secretly  loaded  with  bars  of  iron 
to  make  up  for  their  deficiency  in  weight  of  cork,  is 
spiritually  akin  to  the  treachery  of  Joab,  who,  taking 
Amasa  by  the  beard  'to  kiss  him,'  smote  Amasa  'in 
the  fifth  rib ' ;  but  it  wears  a  very  different  aspect.  .  .  . 

"The  key  to  the  criminaloid  is  not  evil  impulse, 
but  moral  insensibility.  .  .  .  Too  squeamish  and 
too  prudent  to  practise  treachery,  brutality,  and 
violence  himself,  he  takes  care  to  work  through 
middlemen.  .  .  .  He  shows  them  the  goal,  provides 
the  money,  insists  on  'results,'  but  vehemently 
declines  to  know  the  foul  methods  by  which  alone 
his  understrappers  can  get  these  'results.'  Not  to 
bribe,  but  to  employ  and  finance  the  briber;  not  to 
lie,  but  to  admit  to  your  editorial  coltunns  'paying 
matter';  not  to  commit  perjury,  but  to  hire  men  to 


292  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

homestead,  and  to  make  over  to  you  claims  they 
have  sworn  were  entered  in  good  faith  and  without 
collusion;  not  to  cheat,  but  to  promise  a  'rake-off' 
to  a  mysterious  go-between  in  case  your  just  assess- 
ment is  cut  down;  not  to  rob  on  the  highway,  but  to 
make  the  carrier  pay  you  a  rebate  on  your  rival's 
shipments;  not  to  shed  innocent  blood,  but  to  bribe 
inspectors  to  overlook  your  neglect  to  install  safety 
appliances:  such  are  the  ways  of  the  criminaloid. 
He  is  a  buyer  rather  than  a  practitioner  of  sin,  and  his 
middlemen  spare  him  unpleasant  details.  .  .  . 

"Blame  not  the  tool,  but  the  hand  that  moves  the 
tool"  [is  the  wise  advice  given  by  Prof.  Ross].^ 

Dr.  Liddon  warns  us  that  "there  is  no  such 
thing  as  putting  personal  responsibility  into  com- 
mission and  hoping  that  God  will  settle  accounts, 
not  with  us,  but  with  our  commissioners."* 

There  is  no  occupation  open  to  respectable  men 
surrounded  by  greater  moral  dangers  than  that  of 
making  money  in  trade.  This  is  so  because  men 
often  fail  to  realise  that  every  economic  ques- 
tion is  a  social  question,  and  that  every  social 
question  is  a  moral  question.  The  methods  by 
which  wealth  is  produced  and  distributed  act 
directly  on  the  lives  of  the  people,  vitally  affect- 
ing their  health  and  morals. 

Men,  to-day,  have  fallen  under  the  glamour  of 
large  numbers.     The  placing  of  several  noughts 

*  Sin  and  Society,  pp.  7,  9,  50-53,  117. 
'Sermons  on  the  Old  Testament,  p.  218. 


Wealth  293 

after  an  initial  figure  tends  to  produce  astigma- 
tism. The  present  need  is  the  piercing  of  all 
economic  and  industrial  questions  with  the  pointed 
query :     "  Is  it  right,  is  it  Christian ? '  * 

To  employ  yoimg,  uneducated  children  at  a  low 
wage  has  proved,  time  and  again,  to  be  an  eco- 
nomic loss,  while  the  employment  of  older  children, 
who  have  had  schooling,  at  a  larger  wage,  has 
shown  that  this  increased  efficiency  has  more  than 
offset  the  increased  wage. 

"Improved  sanitary  conditions  mean  better 
health,  and  better  health  means  better  work," 
declares  George  W.  Perkins,  Chairman  of  the 
Finance  Committee  of  the  International  Har- 
vester Co. 

Practical  experience  indicates  that  for  an  em- 
ployer to  treat  his  employees  as  brothers  in  Christ, 
is  to  employ  the  best  business  policy.  Some  of  the 
American  captains  of  industry  are  coming  to  this 
conclusion,  and  hardly  a  week  passes  without  the 
newspapers  recording  the  action  of  some  great 
corporation  in  adopting  rules  or  policies  which  are 
intended  to  better  the  conditions  surroimding  the 
lives  of  the  workers. 

The  time  for  the  adoption  of  the  Sermon  on 
the  Mount  as  a  by-law  of  corporate  organisations 
is  still  a  long  way  off,  and,  until  it  becomes  em- 
bodied in  corporate  life,  means  must  be  found 
for  the  establishment  of  Christ's  teachings  in  the 
industrial  and  commercial  world. 


294         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Some  of  the  evil  conditions  in  corporate  Ufa 
may  be  uprooted  and  abolished  by  the  adoption 
of  the  following  remedies: 

First :  Legal  compulsory  publicity.  The  first 
concern  of  the  government  which  grants  charters 
of  incorporation  ought  to  be,  to  see  that  its  cor- 
porate offsprings  are  conducting  business  legiti- 
mately and  are  not  violating  any  of  the  laws. 
Its  second  concern  ought  to  be,  the  giving  to  the 
pubHc  of  all  such  information  as  would  affect 
the  reasonable  judgment  of  a  man  in  determining 
whether  he  should  or  should  not  invest  in  a 
particular  enterprise. 

Second:  A  public  opinion  should  be  created 
which  would  demand  that  a  man  be  held  just  as 
accoimtable  for  his  acts  as  a  director  as  he  is  held 
accountable  for  his  acts  as  an  individual,  and 
would  place  upon  the  shoulders  of  the  individual 
directors  the  responsibility  for  all  the  acts  of  the 
corporation,  no  matter  who  may  actively  partici- 
pate in  them. 

Third:  Socially  ostracise  the  man  who  is 
misusing  his  wealth  or  his  power. 

"Judge  not,  that  ye  be  not  judged."  By 
this  command,  Christ  distinctly  declared  that  an 
individual  has  no  right  to  judge  another  on  cir- 
cumstantial or  hearsay  evidence,  nor  on  appear- 
ances no  matter  how  damaging  such  appearances 
may  seem. 

If  one  knows,  as  a  fact,  that  a  certain  individual 


Wealth  295 

has  committed  a  sin  or  a  crime,  then  Christ's 
special    teaching    on    social    ostracism    may    be 
safely  and  properiy  applied. 
To  His  disciples,  Christ  said: 

"And  into  whatsoever  city  ye  enter,  and  they 
receive  you,  eat  such  things  as  are  set  before  you: 

"And  heal  the  sick  that  are  therein,  and  say  unto 
them,  The  kingdom  of  God  is  come  nigh  imto  you. 

"But  into  whatsoever  city  ye  enter,  and  they 
receive  you  not,  go  your  ways  out  into  the  streets  of 
the  same,  and  say, 

"Even  the  very  dust  of  your  city,  which  cleaveth 
on  us,  we  do  wipe  off  against  you:  notwithstanding 
ye  be  sure  of  this,  that  the  kingdom  of  God  is  come 
nigh  imto  you." ' 

I  The  emphasis  in  these  verses  is  upon  the  last 
clause:  "Notwithstanding  ye  be  sure  of  this, 
that  the  kingdom  of  God  is  come  nigh  unto  you." 
One  must  have  Christ's  love  in  his  heart  before 
going  to  the  sinner  or  the  criminal  with  the  object 
of  inducing  him  to  repent  for  his  wrongful  acts 
and  to  reform  his  Ufe.  If  the  sinner  or  the  crimi- 
nal refuses  to  give  heed  to  the  efforts  which  were 
made  to  help  him  and  which  were  tendered  solely 
in  the  spirit  of  love,  and  persists  in  his  sin  or  his 
crime  and  deUberately  shuts  the  door  of  help  in 
the  face  of  Christ's  messenger,  then,  and  then  only, 
has  the  Christian  a  right  to  socially  ostracise  him. 

'Luke  X.,  8-1 1. 


296         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Suppose,  however,  the  individual  thus  socially 
ostracised  subsequently  repents,  should  the  ban 
of  social  ostracism  be  still  maintained  against  him? 

Christ  said:  "Take  heed  to  yourselves:  If 
thy  brother  trespass  against  thee,  rebuke  him; 
and  if  he  repent,  forgive  him."^ 

Forgiveness  implies  the  blotting  out  of  the 
offence  committed,  together  with  all  remedies 
taken  to  rebuke  the  sinner.  The  repentant 
sinner  is  entitled  to  the  same  treatment  as  was 
accorded  to  the  Prodigal  Son  on  his  return  to  his 
father's  house: 

"When  he  was  a  great  way  off  his  father  saw  him, 
and  had  compassion,  and  ran,  and  fell  on  his  neck, 
and  kissed  him.  .  .  .  The  father  said  to  his  servants, 
Bring  forth  the  best  robe,  and  put  it  on  him  .  .  . 
bring  hither  the  fatted  calf,  and  kill  it;  and  let  us 
eat  and  be  merry;  for  this  my  son  was  dead,  and 
is  alive  again."* 

Fourth:  The  teaching  in  schools  and  colleges, 
as  well  as  in  churches  and  Simday-schools,  of  the 
Christian  doctrine,  that  man  is  of  more  importance 
than  wealth,  that  himian  life  is  the  most  valuable 
asset  in  society  and  in  the  "Kingdom  of  God," 
and  that  he  who  individually,  or  through  the 
agency  of  another,  injures,  degrades,  maims,  or 
destroys  life,  is  a  public  enemy  and  an  anti- 
Christian. 

'Luke  xvii.,  3.  »  Luke  xv.,  20-24. 


Wealth  297 

A  quaint  old  cobbler  residing  in  a  Western 
town  uses  a  business  card  on  which  he  states: 
"My  business  is  serving  the  Lord.  I  mend  shoes 
to  pay  expenses." 

If  manufacturers,  captains  of  industry,  and 
business  men  in  general  would  Kve  up  to  the 
principle  expressed  on  the  cobbler's  card,  the  evils 
in  business  life  would  speedily  disappear,  the 
problem  of  poverty  would  be  on  a  high  road  to 
a  solution,  and  the  social,  economic,  and  indus- 
trial world  would  be  so  transformed,  that  men 
could  readily  discern  the  coming  of  the  "King- 
dom of  God"  here  on  earth. 


LABOUR 


299 


LABOUR 

ABOUT  one  hiindred  and  twenty-five  years  ago, 
political  economy,  as  a  separate  branch  of 
knowledge,  came  into  existence.  It  defined  the 
laws  which  regulate  the  production,  distribution, 
and  exchange  of  wealth,  and  made  the  claim  that 
such  laws,  and  they  alone,  constitute  the  whole  of 
the  science. 

John  Stuart  Mill,  the  leading  writer  on  political 
economy  of  the  nineteenth  century,  stunmed  up 
the  teachings  of  this  science  when  he  stated  that 

"political  economy  is  concerned  with  man  solely  as 
a  being  who  desires  to  possess  wealth,  and  who  is 
capable  of  judging  of  the  comparative  efficacy  of 
means  to  that  end.  It  makes  entire  abstraction  of 
every  other  human  passion  or  motive,  except  those 
which  may  be  regarded  as  perpetually  antagonising 
principles  to  the  desire  of  wealth;  namely,  aversion 
to  labour,  and  desire  of  the  present  enjojmaent  of 
costly  indulgences.  .  .  .  Political  economy  considers 
mankind  as  occupied  solely  in  acquiring  and  con- 
suming wealth."^ 

The  teaching  of  this  school  was,  that  the 
methods  by  which  an  individual  conducts  his 
business  and  regulates  his  general  business  inter- 

»  Essays  on  Some  Unpublished  Questions,  1844. 
301 


302         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

course  with  his  fellows,  should  be  based  on  the 
principle  contained  in  the  Quaker's  advice  to  his 
son,  "Make  money  honestly  if  you  can,  but 
make  money." 

Selfishness  was  the  keynote  and  materialistic 
gain  the  sole  object  of  the  science  of  political 
economy.  "Will  it  pay?"  was  the  test  applied  to 
every  condition  and  to  every  situation.  This 
teaching,  that  the  acquisition  of  wealth  is  the 
sumtnum  bonum  of  life,  has  been  one  of  the  main 
forces  which  has  created  the  gulf  of  separation 
between  the  employer  and  the  employee,  and  has 
been  responsible,  to  a  large  extent,  for  the  indus- 
trial wars  of  the  past  and  of  the  present  day. 

Diuing  the  last  few  years,  however,  a  revolt  has 
arisen  against  this  narrow,  selfish,  materiaHstic, 
"God-forgetting  profit-and-loss  philosophy,"'  and 
a  new  school  of  political  economy  has  come  into 
existence. 

I  For  the  keystone  of  the  arch  of  the  new  science, 
this  school  has  substituted  the  question,  "Is  it 
right?"  for  the  former  query,  "Will  it  pay?" 
This  change  of  viewpoint  is  due  to  the  recognition 
of  the  human  element  which  enters  into  the  pro- 
duction of  all  commodities. 

Dr.  Carroll  D.  Wright,  with  prophetic  vision, 
has  written: 

"From    these    premises    I    predict   that   political 
*  Carlyle,  Past  and  Present,  iii.,  Chap.  lO. 


Labour  303 

economy  will,  in  the  near  future,  deal  largely  with 
the  family,  with  wealth,  with  the  state,  as  the  three 
features  of  its  doctrines,  and  not  confine  itself  to 
wealth  alone.  Under  family,  it  will  take  cognisance 
of  the  relation  of  the  sexes,  marriage  and  divorce,  the 
position  of  woman,  and  the  education  and  employ- 
ment of  children;  the  last  forming  the  most  vital 
element  in  the  economic  consideration  of  the  scien- 
tists, as  well  as  inviting  the  ardent  sympathies  of  the 
philanthropists.  Under  wealth,  the  old  chapters 
will  be  revivified  in  the  light  of  moral  discernment, 
relative  to  all  the  delicate,  but  always  reciprocal, 
relations  of  labour  and  capital.  Under  state,  political 
ethics  will  be  taught  as  a  direct  means  of  securing 
the  highest  material  and  social  prosperity. 

"These  considerations  in  the  future  will  be  de- 
manded to  answer  the  questions  constantly  put,  how 
labour  may  be  rendered  more  generally  attractive 
and  remunerative,  without  impairing  the  efficiency  of 
capital,  so  that  all  the  workers  of  society  may  have 
their  proper  share  in  the  distribution  of  profits. 
This  I  conceive  to  be  the  true  labour  question  of 
to-day."^ 

Instead  of  the  chief  consideration  of  political 
economy  being  the  amount  of  material  gains 
arising  out  of  the  production  and  distribution 
of  economic  goods,  "the  starting  point  as  well 
as  the  object  point  of  this  new  science  is 
man." 

For  the  basis  of  the  new  science  this  school 

»  Some  Ethical  Phases  of  the  Labour  Question,  pp.  38,  39. 


304         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

has  placed  the  teachings  of  Christ,  which  regu- 
late the  relative  importance  of  wealth  and  of 
manhood,  and  the  relation  which  should  exist 
between  man  and  man  in  every  department  of 
human  Hfe  and  activity. 

"My  Father  worketh  hitherto,  and  I  work,"* 
said  Christ.  "In  the  beginning  God  created  the 
heaven  and  the  earth" ^;  and  since  "the  heaven 
and  the  earth  were  finished,"  God  has  kept  His 
hand  on  the  machinery  of  the  universe,  so  that 
the  spheres  unfalteringly  move  in  their  appointed 
channels,  the  earth  periodically  brings  forth  its 
fruits,  flowers,  and  herbs  for  the  good  of  man- 
kind, the  animals,  birds,  and  fish  faithfully  re- 
produce their  kind,  man  unceasingly  multiplies 
and  develops,  and  the  social  forces  invariably 
tend  toward  the  inauguration  on  earth  of  the 
"kingdom"  of  the  Christ. 

This  world  is  a  huge  workshop  and  every  man 
born  into  it  was  created  to  work.  It  is  a  law  of 
life  that  man  must  work.  If  a  man  does  not 
work  he  retrogrades,  he  deteriorates.  Through 
regular,  systematic,  and  persistent  work,  a  man 
fulfils  the  piupose  of  his  being;  and  as  he  meets 
and  satisfies  the  requirements  of  his  nature  he 
develops  into  a  higher  type  of  manhood  and 
enjoys  the  blessings  of  peace  and  happiness. 

In  the  parable  of  the  Talents^  Christ  illustrates 
the  duty,  the  effect,  and  the  reward  of  work. 

*  John  v.,  17.  '  Gen.  i.,  i.  s  Matt,  xxv.,  14-30. 


Labour  305 

All  our  talents,  whether  they  be  physical  power, 
mental  strength,  moral  insight,  or  special  aptitude, 
come  from  God.  They  are  merely  loaned  to  us. 
We  do  not  buy  them,  or  earn  them,  or  grow  them; 
they  are  inherent  in  us,  and  for  their  use  we  are 
accoiuitable  to  the  Almighty. 

The  man  with  the  five  talents  "straightway 
.  .  .  went  and  traded  with  them  .  .  .  and  made 
other  five  talents."  He  "straightway,"  without 
delay,  without  postponement,  "traded  with  them," 
that  is,  used  them;  and  by  using  them  he  doubled 
their  power  and  their  capacity,  and  thus  he  be- 
came twice  the  man. 

His  reward  was  threefold: 

(i)  "His  Lord  said  unto  him,  Well  done, 
thou  good  and  faithful  servant."  He  received 
praise  for  his  faithfulness,  but  not  for  his  suc- 
cess, or  for  the  amount  which  he  had  gained. 
Success  depends  somewhat  on  chance,  on  cir- 
cumstance, on  situations,  and  not  solely  on 
the  individual.  Faithfulness  is  personal,  and 
is  independent  of  time,  conditions,  or  other 
men.  Whether  successful  or  not  in  trade,  it 
is  faithfulness  to  one's  task  which  alone  is  con- 
sidered by  God. 

(2)  "I  will  make  thee  ruler  over  many  things." 
By  faithfully  using  his  talents,  he  had  become  able, 
experienced,  and  competent.  The  captains  of  in- 
dustry and  the  employers  of  labour  are  continually 
searching  for  faithful,  growing  men,  and  faith- 


3o6         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

fill,  growing  men  are  ever  climbing  upward  on  the 
ladder  of  success. 

(3)  "Enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord." 
Great  is  the  joy  of  accomplishment,  the  know- 
ledge of  possessing  power  to  do  great  things.  The 
successful  accomplishment  of  tasks  Hfts  one  up 
onto  a  plane  with  those  capable  of  accomplish- 
ing similar  work,  and  the  more  one's  talents 
develop  and  multiply,  the  more  one  is  brought  into 
fellowship  with  the  strong  men  of  earth. 

"He  also  that  had  received  two  talents  .  .  . 
gained  two  other  talents." 

The  two-talent  man  had  been  as  faithful  in  the 
use  of  his  talents  as  had  been  the  man  of  five 
talents,  and,  therefore,  Christ  declared  that  his 
reward  was  the  same  as  that  received  by  the  man 
of  five  talents. 

The  number  of  talents  with  which  an  individual 
was  initially  endowed  did  not  enter  into  the 
value  of  the  reward  bestowed.  It  was  faithful- 
ness in  the  use  of  one's  talents  which  alone  was 
considered. 

The  man  of  one  talent,  instead  of  using  his 
talent  in  the  way  the  five-talent  and  the  two- 
talent  men  had  used  their  talents,  went  and  hid 
his  talent  in  the  earth.  For  his  non-use  and, 
therefore,  misuse  of  his  talent,  Christ  pronounced 
this  judgment  on  him:  "Take  therefore  the 
talent  from  him." 

The  talent  which  had  been  loaned  to  him  and 


Labour  307 

had  remained  unused,  thereby  conferring  no 
blessing  on  him  or  on  mankind,  was  taken  from 
him.  This  is  the  law  of  life  in  the  physical,  men- 
tal, moral,  and  spiritual  world.  Unused  limbs 
become  weak;  the  inactive  mind  loses  its  power; 
the  turning  of  a  deaf  ear  to  the  voice  of  conscience 
lessens  the  capacity  to  hear  that  small  voice. 

Charles  Darwin,  in  his  autobiography,  says 
that  in  early  life  he  had  a  decided  taste  for  poetry 
and  music,  but  by  neglect  to  cultivate  these  arts 
his  esthetic  tastes  grew  atrophied,  so  that  diiring 
his  latter  days  he  found  no  pleasure  in  reading  a 
masterpiece  of  poetry  or  in  listening  to  an  im- 
mortal symphony. 

The  non-use  of  their  talents  by  a  large  number 
of  our  citizens  has  created  a  problem  so  fraught 
with  danger  to  the  welfare  of  our  nation  that  all 
patriotic  Americans,  whether  Christian  or  not, 
should  awaken  to  the  necessity  of  dealing  with 
this  subject  promptly,  inteUigently,  and  effect- 
ively. 

Idlers,  whether  rich  or  poor,  are  menacing 
dangers.  If  rich,  the  idler  imsettles  the  minds 
of  workers;  and  as  idleness  breeds  extravagant 
tastes  and  creates  a  desire  for  imwholesome  pur- 
suits, his  luxurious  manner  of  living  awakens 
envy,  creates  hatred,  and  lowers  the  general  tone 
of  society.  Men  cannot  be  idle  with  safety  to 
themselves  nor  to  the  commimity  in  which  they 
live. 


3o8         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

If  poor,  the  idlers  may  be  divided  into  three 
general  classes:  (i)  the  employable;  (2)  the 
unemployable;  (3)  the  vagrant,  the  incorrigible, 
and  the  vicious. 

(i)  The  Employable. — The  employable,  those 
who  are  out  of  work  through  no  fault  of  their  own, 
but  because  of  hard  times,  seasonable  work,  or  the 
over  supply  of  the  labour  market,  need,  first  of  all, 
assistance  in  order  to  obtain  work.  During  en- 
forced idleness,  a  man  naturally  broods  over  his 
condition,  and  as  a  result  his  mind  becomes 
weakened  through  discouragement  and  clouded 
with  discontent,  thus  causing  him  to  gain  a  dis- 
torted view  of  life,  which  often  leads  to  his  enlist- 
ment in  the  ranks  of  those  who  follow  vagaries 
inconsistent  with  American  democratic  institu- 
tions and  the  Christian  life. 

In  order  to  cope  with  these  constantly  recur- 
ring conditions,  bureaus  should  be  established  and 
conducted  by  private  committees,  where  com- 
plete records  of  labour  conditions  in  the  com- 
munity and  in  the  surrounding  cities  and  villages 
would  be  kept,  and  where  employment  is  secured 
for  the  man  willing  to  work. 

(2)  The  Unemployable. — Under  this  head  may 
be  grouped  those  who  are  without  knowledge  of 
a  trade,  and  those  who  are  physically  or  mentally 
incapacitated  from  securing  and  retaining  em- 
ployment. So-called  "Labour  Colonies, "  similar 
to   those   of    Germany   and   Switzerland,    where 


Labour  309 

board  may  be  obtained  in  exchange  for  services, 
and  a  system  of  co-operative  vacant-lot  gardening, 
where  idle  men  and  women  may  be  put  to  work  at 
cultivating  the  waste  places,  tmder  competent  in- 
structors, with  financial  help  in  the  furnishing  of 
seeds,  garden  implements,  etc.,  should  be  estab- 
lished in  every  industrial  centre,  bj^  municipal 
bodies  or  by  private  societies.  Health,  skill, 
self-help,  self-confidence,  and  independence  are  the 
results  gained  by  workers  from  such  enterprises. 

(3)  Vagrants,  Incorrigibles,  and  the  Vicious. — 
The  imprisonment  of  this  class  of  idlers  has  had  no 
reformatory  effect  whatever  upon  them,  but,  in 
many  cases,  has  been  the  means  of  confirming 
them  in  their  imsocial  way  of  living.  The  estab- 
lishment of  state  or  county  farms  to  which  such 
men  and  women  may  be  sent  and  where  they  will 
be  compelled  to  labotu*  for  a  time,  would  be  a  sane 
treatment  and  a  proper  remedy  as  viewed  by  the 
light  of  Christ's  teachings. 

"I  must  be  about  my  Father's  business,"^  said 
Christ.  For  about  sixteen  years  Christ  worked  as 
a  carpenter  doing  his  "Father's  business."  His 
"Father's  business"  consisted  of  doing  work 
honestly,  earnestly,  and  wholeheartedly.  To  fill 
life-preservers  with  lead,  to  adulterate  medicine, 
to  can  tainted  meat  or  decayed  vegetables,  to 
construct  buildings  carelessly  or  improperly,  or 
to    manufacture   articles   out   of   imperfect   ma- 

'  Luke  ii.,  49. 


310         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

terials,  whereby  human  Hfe  may  be  endangered, 
is  not  being  about  our  "Father's  business." 
Nor  are  we  about  our  "Father's  business"  when 
we  waste  the  time  for  which  we  are  paid  for  de- 
voting to  work,  or  when  we  do  work  which  will 
barely  pass  inspection. 

Whether  employed  on  the  street,  in  the  mines, 
in  the  office,  shop,  store,  or  manufactory,  one 
may  work  in  such  a  way  as  to  be  about  the 
"Father's  business."  Hugh  Black  has  truly 
said:  " Spiritually  it  makes  little  difference  what 
our  work  is :  it  is  the  manner  of  our  doing  it.  A 
scavenger  may  be  a  truer  public  servant  than  a 
cabinet  minister."* 

This  truth  is  beautifully  illustrated  by  Murillo's 
famous  picture  which  hangs  in  the  Louvre  in 
Paris.  It  depicts  the  interior  of  a  convent  kitchen, 
with  angels  doing  the  ordinary  kitchen  work. 
Cheerfully,  painstakingly,  and  wholeheartedly  one 
is  putting  a  kettle  on  the  fire,  another  is  cooking, 
and  others  are  washing  dishes. 

In  this  complex  civilisation  of  ours,  there  is 
required  to  be  done  much  necessary  work  which 
has  the  tendency  to  degrade  human  beings  and 
which  is  inimical  to  their  health  and  development. 
No  conceivable  industrial  system  will  eliminate 
all  such  work,  but  many  changes  can  be  made 
which  will  greatly  reduce  the  perils  and  the  evil 
influences  surrounding  such  work. 

'  Work,  p.  79. 


Labour  311 

"But,  furthennore  [writes  Rev.  Alfred  Wesley 
Wishart],  something  can  be  done  with  the  individual, 
for  after  all  that  we  can  do  to  improve  conditions, 
he  still  needs  something  more.  The  drain  man  in 
The  Servant  in  the  House  was  a  noble  character  in 
spite  of  his  work.  Drain  work  must  be  done  by 
somebody.  The  task  of  purifying  the  physical  con- 
ditions of  a  building  may  cost  a  man  his  life,  but  the 
right  sort  of  a  man  does  not  hesitate.  He  glories  in 
the  opportunity  to  do  a  real  man's  work.  The 
trouble  with  us  all  is  that  we  have  placed  a  stigma 
on  many  kinds  of  work  that  call  for  the  noblest 
heroism.  We  honour  the  man  who  dies  on  the 
battle-field,  often  for  an  unjust  cause,  and  pay  no 
heed  to  those  who  die  for  us  performing  the  disagree- 
able tasks  of  society.  Necessary,  unpleasant  work  in 
many  cases  will  be  robbed  of  the  power  to  degrade, 
when  we  see  it  in  its  true  perspective,  and  honour 
the  heroes  who  do  the  work."* 

Work  which  has  no  other  end  than  the  mere 
making  of  money  becomes  a  petty  drudgery  and 
causes  life  to  be  exceedingly  dull. 

While  work  enlarges,  develops,  and  dignifies  the 
powers  of  man,  man  should  dignify,  ennoble,  and 
glorify  work,  through  the  motive  which  inspires 
his  work,  the  spirit  in  which  he  works,  and  the 
end  for  which  he  works. 

The  motive  which  should  inspire  work  is  full 
and  complete  self -development ;  the  spirit  which 

'  Proceedings  oj  N.  Y.  State  Conference  oj  Religion,  series  viii.. 
No.  3,  p.  52. 


312         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

should  direct  work  is  love  for  mankind;  the  end 
for  which  work  should  be  done,  is  the  establish- 
ment of  the  "Kingdom  of  God"  here  on  earth.    ; 

It  is  not  alone  when  dealing  with  large  issues, 
imposing  duties,  and  heroic  enterprises,  that  we 
are  called  upon  to  do  our  best  and  most  faithful 
work,  but  it  is  also  when  doing  the  small  and 
seemingly  insignificant  tasks.  Christ  said  that 
"he  that  is  faithful  in  that  which  is  least  is  faithful 
also  in  much." 

The  lives  of  htiman  beings  are  so  closely  inter- 
linked that  every  work  done,  whether  great  or 
small,  has  an  influence  for  good  or  evil  on  the  life 
of  some  one. 

In  order  to  raise  work  to  a  place  of  dignity, 
the  fact  that  all  work  affects  others  should  be 
recognised,  and  the  spirit  of  working  for  the  good 
of  others  should  enter  into  it.  The  careless 
weaving  of  a  piece  of  rope,  or  the  imperfect 
moulding  of  a  bar  of  steel,  may  be  the  cause  of  an 
injury  to  a  human  being  or  the  destruction  of  a 
human  life.  Sham  or  shoddy  work  is  a  wrong 
against  society  in  that  it  often  becomes  a  means 
of  inflicting  suffering  on  the  innocent. 

This  fact  is  rapidly  dissipating  the  remnants 
of  that  one-time  accepted  idea,  that  it  is  of  little 
consequence  how  a  man  conducts  his  business 
during  the  week  provided  he  strictly  observes 
all  the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  Christian 
Chiirch  for  the  observance  of  Sunday.     To-day, 


Labour  313 

the  truth  that  no  man  by  religious  devotions  can 
nullify  the  evil  effects  of  dishonest  work  in  his 
shop  or  counting-room,  is  beginning  to  be  realised. 

If  a  man  foresees  in  his  work  the  use  to  which 
it  will  be  put  in  the  service  of  others,  and  sees 
with  his  mind's  eye  the  furnished  product  on  its 
journey  bringing  weal  or  woe  to  its  future  user, 
he  will  find  joy  in  doing  his  work  so  that  it  may 
prove  of  value  to  mankind. 

The  unchristian  spirit  abroad  in  the  world 
to-day  is  manifested  in  the  adulterations  and 
the  shams  and  shoddy  work  seen  everjrwhere, 
necessitating  the  enactment  of  pure-food,  meat- 
inspection,  and  tenement-house  laws. 

President  Woodrow  Wilson  in  his  baccalaureate 
sermon  to  the  graduating  class  of  Princeton 
College,  June  13,  1909,  said:  "You  know  what  the 
usual  standard  of  the  employee  is  in  our  day. 
It  is  to  give  as  little  as  he  may  for  his  wages. " 

If  a  man  truly  loves  his  brother,  he  will  find 
joy  in  doing  his  best  work  for  his  brother;  for 
love  can  be  shown  in  no  better  way  than  by 
service ;  and  in  serving  his  brother  he  is  about  the 
"Father's  business." 

"Properly  speaking  [says  Carlyle],  all  true  work 
is  religion;  and  whatsoever  religion  is  not  work  may 
go  and  dwell  among  the  Brahmins,  Antinomians, 
Spinning  Dervishes,  or  where  it  will ;  with  me  it  shall 
have  no  harbour.  Admirable  is  that  saying  of  the  old 
monks,  Labor  are  est  or  are — work  is  worship." 


314         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Whether  the  task  be  great  or  small,  it  is  the 
spirit  and  the  faithfulness  with  which  the  work 
is  performed  that  counts,  for  all  "service  ranks 
the  same  with  God. " 

If  diligent,  painstaking,  conscientious  work  is 
required  of  a  Christian,  then  is  the  demand  of 
the  working  men  for  an  eight-hour  work-day  un- 
christian? 

Man  has  a  threefold  nature,  physical,  mental, 
and  spiritual,  each  of  which  demands  use  in  order 
that  development  instead  of  atrophy  may  result. 
The  number  of  hours  to  be  devoted  daily  to  the 
well-being  of  the  physical,  mental,  and  spiritual 
in  man,  should  be  in  proportion  to  the  requirements 
of  each.  That  one  attribute  of  man's  nature 
should  not  be  developed  at  the  expense  of  another 
is  manifest  in  the  operation  of  the  laws  of  life  and 
in  Christ's  parable  of  the  Talents. 

The  minute  division  of  labour  in  American  in- 
dustries in  this  twentieth  century  allows  but  lit- 
tle chance  for  the  full  development  of  man's  mind 
and  spirit.  To  work  for  ten,  twelve,  or  more  hours 
a  day  at  a  task  which  is  largely  automatic  and 
benumbing,  or  at  a  work  which  is  physically 
and  mentally  exhausting,  leaves  a  man,  when 
his  day's  labour  is  over,  with  neither  time  nor 
strength  for  the  development  of  his  intellectual 
and  spiritual  nature. 

The  number  of  hours  an  individual  should  de- 
vote to  work  in  order  to  earn  sufficient  for  the 


Labour  315 

support  of  himself  and  his  family,  depends  on 
the  kind  of  labour  in  which  he  is  engaged. 

It  has  been  determined  that  eight  hours  of 
work  a  day  in  our  manufacturing  and  mining 
industries  is  about  all  that  a  himian  being  can  en- 
diu-e,  if  he  is  to  be  left  in  a  condition  to  develop 
the  higher  side  of  his  nature  after  his  day's  toil. 

A  short  work  day  would  give  a  man  more  time 
to  enjoy  life,  and  such  leisure  would  tend  to 
develop  in  him  a  love  for  home  and  family  life, 
would  broaden  his  intellectual,  social,  and  political 
interests,  and  thus  would  increase  his  needs  and 
requirements. 

The  fact  that  some  men  may  misuse  such 
opportunity  for  their  educational  and  spiritual 
(viz.:  ethical,  esthetic,  and  religious)  culture,  is 
no  excuse  for  withholding  the  privilege  from  them. 

If  it  is  the  duty  of  a  Christian  to  use  all  his 
talents  and  develop  all  his  powers,  it  is  also  his 
duty,  in  so  far  as  he  is  able,  to  give  every  human 
being  a  like  opportunity  to  use  and  develop  his 
talents  and  powers. 

If  eight  hours  a  day  is  the  maximum  of  time 
which  a  man  should  devote  to  manual  labour, 
then  it  is  the  duty  of  Christians  to  join  hands 
with  and  to  assist  all  who  are  endeavouring  to 
secure  legislation  which  would  limit  the  employ- 
ment of  men  in  such  labour  to  eight  hours  a  day. 

The  effect  of  a  short  working  day  is  described 
by  Mr.  John  Mitchell  as  follows : 


3i6         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

"You  would  be  surprised  to  note  the  progress  the 
coal-miners  are  making  since  the  inauguration  of  the 
eight-hour  day  three  years  ago.  In  many  places 
they  are  organising  libraries,  they  are  taking  a  real 
interest  in  public  questions,  and  their  family  life  has 
become  much  improved  and  sweetened.  .  .  .  The 
eight-hour  day  is  the  greatest  temperance  advocate 
I  know  of. "^ 

Not  only  should  the  working  hours  of  men  be 
limited  to  eight  hours  a  day,  but  the  working 
hours  of  children  should  be  carefully  regulated. 

It  is  the  common  judgment  of  both  Europe 
and  America  that  no  child  under  fourteen  years 
of  age  should  be  employed  for  gain,  in  stores, 
factories,  and  mines.  It  is  virtually  agreed  in 
this  country  that  there  should  be  legal  regulation 
for  children  between  fourteen  and  sixteen  years  of 
age,  such  regulation  to  include  the  prohibition 
of  night  work,  the  shortening  of  the  daily  hours 
of  labour,  the  protection  against  dangerous  ma- 
chinery, and  unsanitary  and  immoral  conditions. 

Owen  R.  Lovejoy  writes: 

"Our  fourfold  duty,  therefore,  seems  clear:  (i) 
To  exclude  all  young  children  and  all  undeveloped 
children  from  the  burdens  of  wage-earning  indus- 
tries. (2)  To  forbid  the  employment  of  all  children 
and  youth  in  industries  which  menace  life,  health, 
or   morals.     (3)    To    limit    the    hours,    forbid    the 

*  Quoted  from  Gospel  of  the  Kingdom,  Sept.,  1909,  p.  92. 


Labour  317 

night  employment,  and  otherwise  guard  the  con- 
ditions of  those  children  and  youth  who  may  be 
employed;  and  (4)  to  aid  in  those  constructive 
measures  which  aim  to  revise  the  curriculum  and 
equip  the  facilities  of  the  public  schools  to  meet  the 
recognised  needs  of  an  industrial  civilisation."' 

There  are  many  men  in  o\ir  coimtry  who  em- 
ploy young  children  at  work  which  tends  to  stunt 
their  growth,  endanger  their  health,  deaden 
their  mind,  and  weaken  their  morals,  and  who^ 
notwithstanding,  escape  public  condemnation. 
Let  these  facts  become  known,  and  we  may  be 
assured  that  the  Herods  who  murder  children 
by  working  them  during  the  tender  years  of  their 
life  for  long  hours,  at  nerve-racking  tasks,  amid 
unwholesome  conditions,  and  at  night  shifts, 
will  not  escape  public  execration. 

One  of  the  most  important  problems  awaiting 
solution  is,  what  constitutes  the  proper  and  just 
division  of  the  profits  of  industry  between  the 
man  who  buys  and  the  man  who  sells  labour.  It 
is  generally  admitted  that  this  division  of  profit 
should  accomplish  two  things — first,  the  em- 
ployer should  receive  a  fair  return  on  his  invested 
capital;  and,  second,  the  employee  should  receive 
at  least  a  living  wage. 

Wages  paid  unskilled  workers  are  governed, 
to  a  large  extent,  by  the  law  of  demand  and  supply. 

'  National  Child  Labour  Committee,  Pamphlet  No.  208,  p.  14. 


3i8  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

At  the  present  time,  that  law  has  fixed  the  wages 
of  unskilled  day  labourers  at  so  low  a  sum,  that  the 
average  annual  income  of  the  worker  is  insufficient 
for  the  decent  support  of  himself  and  his  normally- 
sized  family.  The  establishment  of  this  low  wage 
is  due  to  the  arrival  annually  of  large  numbers  of 
immigrants  who,  in  most  cases,  are  without  know- 
ledge of  a  trade  or  ability  to  speak  the  English 
language,  and  consequently  are  willing  to  work 
for  a  wage  approximating  the  meagre  income 
they  were  accustomed  to  receive  in  the  Old 
World. 

To  remedy  the  condition  of  the  day  labourer 
who  has  lived  in  the  United  States  long  enough 
to  have  adopted  our  customs  and  habits  of  living, 
and  whose  daily  wage  has  become  insufficient 
to  provide  his  family  with  proper  shelter,  food, 
and  clothing,  and  to  prevent  his  sons  from  re- 
maining in  the  same  industrial  level,  vocational 
training  is  absolutely  essential. 

To  obtain  an  increase  in  wages,  a  man  must  do 
more  efficient  work.  Unless  he  becomes  so  ef- 
ficient as  to  lift  himself  above  the  doing  of  com- 
mon unskilled  labour,  he  will  receive  no  increase 
in  his  pay.  Improvement  in  the  productive 
capacity  of  a  man  is  the  only  way  by  which  he 
can  earn  more  wages  and  be  entitled  to  higher 
pay. 

Prof.  J.  Lawrence  Laughlin  has  clearly  ex- 
plained this  fact  in  these  words: 


Labour  319 

"Increased  efficiency  is  to  a  labourer  what  increased 
utility  is  to  a  commodity.  But  while  supply  is  in 
the  long  run  dominant  even  over  utility,  the  effect 
of  increased  efficiency,  as  human  beings  go,  works  in 
practice  not  only  to  increase  his  utility  to  his  employer, 
but  also  to  place  him  where  the  supply  of  his  kind  of 
labour  is  less.  Higher  wages  are,  therefore,  in  the 
natural  course  of  events,  almost  inevitable,  when 
eflSciency  is  improved."^ 

Vocational  training  is  the  only  hope  of  advance- 
ment for  the  untrained  labourer.  Schools  pro- 
viding such  training  is  the  crying  need  of  the 
day.  If  the  sons  of  the  immigrants  are  to  be 
capable  of  doing  a  higher  class  of  work  than  their 
fathers  did,  they  must  receive  special  industrial 
training. 

The  establishing  of  public  schools  for  vocational 
training  is  the  duty  of  every  municipality.  As 
Christ  gave  the  bedridden  man  the  strength  to 
rise  up  and  carry  his  own  bed,  so  every  Christian 
should  aim  to  give  every  boy  and  man  an  oppor- 
ttmity  to  become  industrially  efficient  so  that  he 
may  be  able  to  bear  his  own  burdens  and  to  care 
for  those  dependent  upon  him. 

The  principle  of  association,  co-operation,  and 
combination,  which  has  been  developing  in  the 
social,  political,  and  industrial  world  since  man 
first  realised  the  necessity  of  self-protection  and 

*  Latter-Day  Problems,  p.  76. 


320         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

self-preservation,  has  now  become  the  most  vital 
factor  in  social  Hfe. 

That  Christ  recognised  the  value  of  association 
and  of  co-operation  in  work,  is  evidenced  by 
His  gathering  of  the  twelve  disciples  about  Him, 
and  of  combining  their  several  qualities  and 
unifying  their  individual  efforts  into  one  definite 
line  of  endeavour.  Christ  distinctly  set  His  seal 
of  approval  on  combinations,  both  of  men  and 
of  property. 

During  the  last  twenty  years,  American  capi- 
talists have  been  combining,  and  to-day  the 
consolidation  of  forces  is  the  steady,  growing 
movement  among  the  employer  class. 

"Mr.  Moody,  in  his  Truth  about  the  Trusts, 
gives  the  following  figures  for  January  i,  1908:  The 
seven  greater  industrial  trusts — that  is,  the  Amal- 
gamated Copper  Co.,  the  American  Smelting  & 
Refining  Co.,  the  American  Sugar  Refining  Co.,  the 
American  Tobacco  Co.,  International  Merchant 
Marine  Co.,  the  Standard  Oil  Co.,  and  the  U.  S. 
Steel  Corporation,  with  their  various  and  numerous 
affiliations,  own  or  control  1638  plants,  with  a 
total  of  $2,708,438,754  capitalisation,  in  stocks  and 
bonds  outstanding.  The  lesser  industrial  trusts  own 
or  control  5038  plants,  with  a  total  capitalisation  of 
$8,243,175,000,  making  a  grand  total  of  6676  plants 
and  $10,951,613,754  of  capitalisation.  The  franchise 
trusts,  e.g.  street-car  lines,  own  or  control  2599  plants 
with  $7,789,393,000  capitalisation;  the  great  steam 


Labour  321 

railroad  groups  own  or  control  745  plants  with  a  capi- 
talisation of  $12,931,154,000.  The  grand  total  of  all 
these  trusts  for  plants  is  10,020  and  for  capitalisation 
$31,672,160,754  in  stocks  and  bonds  outstanding."* 

On  October  30,  1903,  "The  Citizens  Industrial 
Association  of  America"  was  organised.  This 
is  an  association  of  manufacturers  organised  for 
the  purpose  of  opposing  what  they  claim  to  be 
the  exactions  of  the  labour  unions.  This  asso- 
ciation boasts  of  a  membership  of  three  thousand 
manufacturers,  each  of  whom  contributes  fifty- 
dollars  a  year  toward  the  creation  of  a  fund  for 
use  in  industrial  battles. 

Since  1900,  the  progress  of  the  movement  for 
the  organisation  of  employers  of  labour  into  strong 
associations,  with  the  primary  purpose  of  treating 
with,  or'of  resisting  the  claims  of,  labour  unions, 
has  been  so  rapid  that  at  the  present  time  nearly 
every  important  feature  of  trade-union  organi- 
sation has  its  counterpart  in  some  employers* 
association. 

On  the  other  hand,  labour  imions  are  being 
organised,  federations  of  unions  are  being  formed, 
and  the  labourer's  dream  that  the  working  men  of 
America  will  be  united  in  one  confederated  body  is 
rapidly  becoming  a  reality.  A  federation  that  for 
five  months  can  stop  the  mining  of  anthracite 
coal,  is  a  power  far  greater  than  the  founders  of 

'  Gospel  of  the  Kingdom,  December,  1908,  p.  22. 


322  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

the  American  Commonwealth  were  capable  of  pic- 
turing. One  federation  is  composed  of  more  than 
twenty  thousand  unions,  and  these  unions  cover 
every  trade.  It  is  estimated  that  the  combined 
membership  of  labour  unions  in  the  United  States 
is  nearly  3,000,000.  Not  only  are  the  trade- 
unions  strong  in  number,  but  their  financial 
strength  is  also  great.  On  January  i,  1903,  the 
United  Mine  Workers  had  in  their  treasury 
$1,027,120.29.  They  gave  for  the  relief  of  the 
anthracite  coal  strikers,  in  1902,  $258,343.93, 
and  raised  by  assessments  $1,967,026.34,  making 
a  total  of  $2,225,370.28  raised  for  the  relief  of 
the  anthracite  coal  strikers  by  the  United  Mine 
Workers  of  this  country. 

The  aim  of  the  working  men  in  so  uniting  is  to 
obtain  shorter  hours  of  labour,  better  conditions 
under  which  to  work,  and  an  increase  in  their 
wages.  Their  leaders  are  retained  in  office  only  so 
long  as  they  are  able  to  pluck  the  golden  fruit  from 
the  tree  of  capital.  "Get  more  for  us  in  short- 
ness of  hours  and  increase  of  wage,"  are  the  daily 
commands  of  the  working  men  to  their  leaders. 

At  the  present  time,  our  country  is  facing  two 
camps,  drawn  up  in  line  of  battle,  each  on  the 
look-out  for  a  sign  of  disagreement  which  may 
furnish  an  excuse  for  an  industrial  war.  This 
situation  constitutes  a  live  vital  social  and  eco- 
nomic problem  which  demands  an  immediate  and 
Christian  solution. 


Labour  323 

The  solution  of  the  "labour  problem"  in  all  its 
phases  will  be  found  ultimately  in  the  substitution 
of  Christ's  Golden  Rule,  "Whatsoever  ye  would 
that  men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them, " 
for  the  David  Hanmi  golden  rule,  "Do  unto  the 
other  fellow  the  way  he  'd  like  to  do  unto  you, 
an'  do  it  fust, "  which  is  to-day  the  guiding  poHcy 
of  most  employers  and  employees.  But  the  mil- 
lennium is  not  yet  in  sight;  it  is  still  a  long 
way  off.  Christ  recognised  this  fact  when  He 
provided  a  provisional  plan  for  the  settlement 
of  controversies. 

"Moreover  if  thy  brother  shall  trespass  against 
thee,  go  and  tell  him  his  fault  between  thee  and  him 
alone;  if  he  shall  hear  thee,  thou  hast  gained  thy 
brother. 

"But  if  he  will  not  hear  thee,  then  take  thee  one  or 
two  more,  that  in  the  mouth  of  two  or  three  witnesses 
every  word  may  be  established. 

"And  if  he  shall  neglect  to  hear  thee,  tell  it  unto 
the  church;  but  if  he  neglect  to  hear  the  church,  let 
him  be  unto  thee  as  an  heathen  man  and  a  publican."  * 

Christ's  solution  of  controversies  requires,  in 
the  first  instance,  an  attempt  at  reconciliation 
through  personal  mediation. 

Applying  Christ's  remedy  to  industrial  disputes, 
the  employer  on  the  one  hand  and  the  labour 
union  on  the  other,   before  adopting  strike  or 

*  Matt,  xviii.,  15-17. 


324         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

lock-out  measures,  should  endeavour  to  reach  an 
amicable  settlement  through  conference. 

While  questions  as  to  the  amount  and  time  of 
payment  of  wages,  hours  of  labor,  working  arrange- 
ments, and  the  recognition  of  trade-unions,  have 
been  the  cause  of  many  industrial  disturbances, 
one  of  the  chief  causes  of  labour  troubles,  which 
widens  the  breach  between  the  employer  and  his 
employees,  is  their  lack  of  appreciating  each  other's 
view  and  their  neglect  to  study  each  other's 
interests,  to  the  end  that  each  may  contribute 
to  their  common  welfare  and  to  the  success  of  the 
industry  with  which  they  are  associated.  If  the 
employer  and  his  employees,  or  committees  repre- 
senting their  true  interests,  were  to  sit  around  the 
same  table  and  listen  to  each  other's  arguments, 
and  endeavour  to  get  each  other's  viewpoint 
and  to  understand  each  other's  reasons,  learning 
to  give  as  well  as  to  take,  holding  vital  opinions 
steadfastly  but  expressing  them  moderately,  keep- 
ing the  mind  open  to  conviction,  and  desiring  to 
come  to  a  sound  and  fair  conclusion,  the  result 
would  be  the  promotion  of  mutual  good  feeling, 
confidence,  and  sympathy;  the  removal  of  mis- 
understandings; the  lessening  of  the  power  of 
unscrupulous  labour  leaders;  and,  on  coming  to 
know  each  other  better,  suspicions  would  fade 
away,  and  the  employer  and  employee  would 
learn  to  respect  and  trust  each  other. 

Fundamentally,  there  is  no  hostility  between 


Labour  325 

capital  and  laboiir;  neither  can  exist  long  without 
the  other;  the  interest  of  the  one  is  the  interest 
of  the  other,  and  on  the  prosperity  of  the  one 
depends  the  prosperity  of  the  other.  Both  the 
employer  and  the  employee  are  deeply  inter- 
ested in  the  establishment  of  a  living  wage:  the 
employer,  that  his  business  may  not  be  en- 
dangered by  strikes;  and  the  employee,  that  he 
may  secure  a  high  standard  of  living.  So  long 
as  working  men  earn  less  than  what  they  con- 
sider to  be  necessary  for  decent  existence,  they 
are  Hable  to  inaugurate  strikes.  On  the  other 
hand,  were  living  wages  paid,  and  labour 
unions  represented  by  intelligent,  honest,  and 
loyal  leaders,  there  would  be  but  little  likeli- 
hood of  strikes. 

No  truer  statement  has  been  made  than  the 
following  from  the  pen  of  Hon.  Jonathan 
Ross: 

"Capital  and  labour  are  interdependent.  Neither 
can  be  prosperous  and  in  a  healthy  condition  without 
the  other  is  equally  so.  Neither  can  be  in  good 
demand  unless  the  other  is  also.  They  should  be 
friends  and  work  harmoniously  together.  Otherwise 
both  are  injured,  the  public  incommoded,  and  the 
prosperity  and  commerce  of  the  nation  imperilled. 
Hostility  and  warfare  between  these  classes  is  de- 
structive of  the  true  interests  of  both  and  of  the 
highest  welfare  of  the  public,  as  destructive  and  as 
much  out  of  place  as  they  would  be  between  husband 


326         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

and  wife,'  if  they  would  maintain  a  happy,  prosper- 
ous home  and  household."* 

If  the  parties  to  the  dispute  fail  to  come  to  an 
agreement  in  settlement,  then  Christ's  advice  is 
that  they  should  appoint  arbitrators  to  decide 
the  controversy. 

If  each  party  to  a  controversy  believes  his 
position  is  a  just  and  fair  one,  then  neither  should 
object  to  having  the  matter  in  difference  presented 
to  a  disinterested  party  or  parties  for  the  purpose 
of  determining  the  merits  of  the  case  and  for 
making  the  award. 

Dr.  Carroll  D.  Wright,  in  his  lecture,  "How 
Battles  of  Labour  are  Treated,"  said: 

"The  work  of  the  Anthracite  Board  of  Conciliation 
is  significant  not  only  in  itself,  but  in  its  results. 
From  its  organisation,  in  June,  1903,  up  to  August, 
1905.  one  hundred  and  forty-one  cases  were  submitted 
to  it  for  arbitration.  Ten  were  complaints  by  the 
mine  owners  and  one  hundred  and  thirty-one  by  the 
mine  workers.  Of  the  total  number  of  complaints 
submitted,  forty-six  were  withdrawn  and  twenty- 
eight  were  not  sustained,  making  seventy-four  com- 
plaints which  had  not  sufficient  basis  to  warrant 
their  presentation  to  the  Board.  Of  the  remainder, 
nineteen  complaints  were  sustained,  three  were  partly 
sustained,  eleven  mutually  settled,  three  compromised, 
and  thirty-one  were  left  pending.     Seventeen  cases 

* "  Labour's  Warfare  and  Capital,"  American  Industries, 
April  I,  1904. 


Labour  327 

were  sent  to  an  umpire,  the  board  being  evenly  divided 
on  them.  Most  of  these  cases  were  decided  against 
the  miners,  but  the  decision  in  all  cases,  whether 
against  the  miners  or  against  the  operators,  was 
accepted  as  final,  and  no  break  in  the  work  of  the 
miners  occurred.  There  was  hardly  one  case  dis- 
posed of,  by  the  Board  or  by  the  umpire,  which 
under  other  conditions  would  not  have  precipitated 
a  strike." 

If  the  award  of  the  arbitrators  is  not  accepted 
by  the  parties  in  dispute,  Christ's  advice  as  to  the 
next  step  to  be  taken  is  to  bring  the  matter  before 
the  court.  * 

At  the  present  time  neither  the  United  States 
nor  any  of  the  individual  States  have  provided 
a  court  for  the  hearing  of  labour  controversies 
and  for  the  settling  of  questions  in  dispute  be- 
tween employers  and  employees.  In  the  United 
States  to-day,  strikes  and  lock-outs,  with  their 
attendant  evils,  are  the  only  methods  existing 
whereby  the  parties  in  difference  can  settle  their 
disputes  when  they  have  failed  to  reach  an  ami- 
cable settlement. 

An  industrial  court,  organised  under  the  judi- 
cial system  of  each  State,  should  be  established 
for  the  determining  of  controversies  between 
employers  and  employees  in  the  same  manner  as 

«  Christianity  and  the  Social  Problems,  by  Lyman  Abbott,  pp. 
241.  283. 


328  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

our  courts  of  law  determine  controversies  between 
individuals.  ^ 

Finally,  if  the  disputing  parties  are  not  satisfied 
with  the  decision  of  the  industrial  court,  Christ 
commanded  that  they  should  separate  and  have 
no  further  dealings  or  connection  with  each  other. 
This  command  of  Christ  puts  a  ban  on  the  boy- 
cott and  the  unfair  list. 

By  the  adoption  of  Christ's  solution — con- 
ciliation, mediation,  arbitration,  industrial  court, 
and  the  "let  alone"  policy — the  rights  of  capital 
and  labour  would  be  protected,  the  breach  between 
the  industrial  classes  would  be  bridged,  and  the 
spirit  of  "peace  on  earth,  good- will  to  men,"  would 
appear  above  the  horizon  of  our  disturbed  and 
disquieting  industrial  life. 

»  For  an  outline  of  the  constitution  of  an  American  industrial 
court,  see  Vital  American  Problems. 


SUNDAY   OBSERVANCE 


329 


SUNDAY  OBSERVANCE 

AT  the  time  of  Christ,  the  original  purpose  of  and 
the  ordained  manner  of  observing  the  Jew- 
ish Sabbath — the  day  set  apart  by  Jehovah  as  a 
recurring  period  of  rest  for  His  children  on  earth — 
had  become  generally  misunderstood.  Christ,  by 
word  and  by  example,  endeavoured  to  revive  the 
true  meaning  of  the  day  and  to  restore  its  observ- 
ance to  accord  with  its  original  purpose.  He 
swept  aside  all  the  forms,  rubrics,  rules,  and  cus- 
toms which  had  grown  up  so  thickly  about  the 
observance  of  the  day  as  to  hide  its  true  import, 
and  in  revealing  its  real  significance  He  was  sup- 
posed to  be  destroying  the  distinctiveness  of  the 
day  and  to  be  abrogating  the  Sabbath  altogether. 
As  observed  by  the  Jews,  the  Sabbath  was  a  day 
in  which  there  was  entire  cessation  from  work,  even 
though  the  work  might  be  of  the  nature  of  social 
service.  It  had  become  a  festival  entirely  negative 
in  character,  and  its  observance  had  become  so 
hedged  about  with  "thou  shalt  not"  rules,  that 
the  natural  activities  of  man  on  that  day  were  nar- 
rowed, restricted,  and  hampered,  in  every  possible 
way.  Instead  of  the  Sabbath  proving  a  divine 
benefit  to  man,  it  had  become,  through  the  teach- 
ings of  the  rabbis,  a  day  of  revolting  bondage. 

331 


332         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

No  more  heed  was  given  to  Christ's  teachings  on 
Sabbath  observance  than  was  paid  to  His  invi- 
tation to  the  Hebrew  race  to  become  citizens  of 
the  "Kingdom  of  heaven";  and  when  He  died 
on  the  cross  the  old  Hebrew  dispensation,  with  its 
laws,  rules,  and  customs,  appHcable  solely  to  that 
people,  came  to  an  end,  and,  on  the  first  day  of  the 
week,  when  He  arose  from  the  dead,  the  new  era 
of  Christianity  was  bom. 

It  is  a  significant  fact  that  during  the  forty 
days  which  intervened  between  Christ's  resur- 
rection and  His  ascension,  He  made  five  appear- 
ances to  His  disciples,  each  appearance  being  on  the 
first  day  of  the  week.  It  is  also  significant  that 
on  each  occasion  He  found  the  disciples  gathered 
together  on  that  day.  ^ 

In  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  and  in  the  writings  of 
the  Church  Fathers  the  fact  is  recorded  that,  after 
Christ's  ascension,  the  early  Christians  regularly 
assembled  on  the  first  day  of  the  week  to  celebrate 
the  anniversary  of  the  day  on  which  the  Saviour 
rose  from  the  dead  and  on  which  He  subsequently 
appeared  unto  them  to  give  His  final  instructions 
before  departing  for  His  heavenly  home. 

The  peculiar  designation,  the  "Lord's  day," 
as  applied  to  the  first  day  of  the  week,  is  indicative 
of  the  purpose  of  the  early  Christians  to  consecrate 
that  day  as  a  memorial  to  their  Master,  instead 

'  Mark  xvi.,  9,  10;  Matt,  xxviii.,  8-10;  Mark  xvL,  12;  Luke 
xxiv.,  34;  Luke  xxiv.,  36-43. 


Sunday   Observance  333 

of  retaining  the  Jewish  Sabbath,  the  seventh  day 
of  the  week,  for  their  formal  weekly  day  of  rejoic- 
ing over  the  resurrection  of  Christ  from  the 
tomb. 

Though  there  is  nothing  on  record  to  show  that 
Christ  set  apart  the  first  day  of  the  week  as  a 
time  for  special  spiritual  enrichment  and  soul 
culture,  yet  the  substitution  of  the  first  day  of 
the  week  for  the  Jewish  Sabbath  must  have  had 
apostolic  sanction  and  approval,  else  it  would  not 
have  become  the  settled,  undisputed  custom  of 
the  early  Christians,  and  have  been  adopted, 
without  question  or  criticism,  throughout  Chris- 
tendom during  the  centuries  which  have  rolled 
by  since  Christ  ascended  into  heaven. 

A  new  day  having  arisen  out  of  the  ashes  of  the 
old  Hebrew  Sabbath  and  been  dedicated  as  a 
special  season  to  commemorate  the  risen  Lord, 
what  were  Christ's  teachings  as  to  how  the  day 
shotdd  be  observed? 

During  His  earthly  ministry,  Christ  engaged 
in  many  controversies  with  the  Jews  concerning 
Sabbath  observance,  wherein  He  laid  down  the 
following  two  principles,  which  radically  differed 
from  those  in  force  in  Judea  at  that  time : 

First:  That  it  is  right  to  do  such  work  on  the 
Sabbath  as  is  necessary  to  sustain  and  upbuild 
life. 

It  was  on  the  Sabbath  that  Christ  and  His  dis- 
ciples "plucked  the  ears  of  corn,  and  did  eat,  rub- 


334         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

bing  them  in  their  hands, ' '  which  act  on  the  Sabbath 
was  contrary  to  the  Jewish  law,  and  in  reply  to 
criticism  Christ  said:  "Have  ye  not  read  so 
much  as  this,  what  David  did,  when  himself  was 
an  hungered,  and  they  which  were  with  him;  how 
he  went  into  the  house  of  God,  and  did  take  and 
eat  the  shewbread,  and  gave  also  to  them  that 
were  with  him;  which  it  is  not  lawful  to  eat  but 
for  the  priests  alone?  "^ 

Second:  That  it  is  right  to  do  such  work  on  the 
Sabbath  as  will  bring  benefit  to  others. 

He  restored  the  withered  hand,^  declaring: 
"It  is  lawful  to  do  well  on  the  Sabbath  days"; 
He  cured  the  paralytic  woman, ^  saying:  "Doth 
not  each  one  of  you  on  the  Sabbath  loose  his  ox  or 
his  ass  from  the  stall,  and  lead  him  away  to  water- 
ing? And  ought  not  this  woman,  being  a  daughter 
of  Abraham,  whom  Satan  hath  bound,  lo,  these 
eighteen  years,  be  loosed  from  this  bond  on  the 
Sabbath  day?";  He  healed  the  man  suffering 
from  the  dropsy, '»  and  justified  his  act  by  asking: 
' '  Which  of  you  shall  have  an  ass  or  an  ox  fallen  into 
a  pit,  and  will  not  straightway  pull  him  out  on 
the  Sabbath  day?";  He  told  the  man  at  the  pool 
of  Bethesda,  who  had  "an  infirmity  thirty  and 
eight  years,"  "Rise,  take  up  thy  bed,  and  walk," 
and  gave  as  His  only  excuse  for  curing  the  invalid 
and   directing  that  he  violate  the  Jewish  law, 

'  Luke  vi.,  1-4;  Matt,  xii.,  1-6.  '  Matt,  xii.,  10-13. 

JLuke  xiii.,  11-17.  <  Luke  xiv.,  1-6. 


Sunday  Observance  335 

"Thou  shalt  bear  no  burden  on  the  Sabbath 
day,"  this  statement:  "My  Father  worketh 
even  until  now  and  I  work. "  ^ 

Christ  declared  "The  Son  of  man  is  Lord 
even  of  the  Sabbath, "»  and  that  "The  Sab- 
bath was  made  for  man,  and  not  man  for  the 
Sabbath.  "3 

From  these  words  it  is  clearly  evident  that 
Christ  did  not  intend  that  man  should  make  of 
Sunday  a  day  of  self-denial  of  all  that  enlarges  and 
beautifies  life,  nor  a  day  of  absolute  abstinence  from 
work  or  pleasure,  but  that  he  should  make  of  it  a 
day  for  the  resting,  the  strengthening,  and  the 
recuperating  of  the  whole  man — physical,  mental, 
and  spiritual. 

Sunday,  the  "Lord's  day,"  was  set  apart  as 
a  sanctuary  for  weary,  heavy-laden  men  and 
women,  a  breathing  space  from  ceaseless  toil. 

Sunday  is  needed  as  a  "  rest-day. "  It  is  impera- 
tive that  one  day  in  seven  be  devoted  to  rest  for 
both  body  and  mind.  The  machinery  of  the 
human  being  requires  periodically  recurrent  times 
of  rest  in  order  that  it  may  be  able  to  do  its  ap- 
pointed work.  As  the  body  requires  a  certain 
part  of  each  day  to  be  devoted  to  sleep,  so  the 
body  requires  one  day  of  each  week  to  be  conse- 
crated to  rest. 

Dr.  John  Richard  Farre  of  London  in  his  testi- 

'  John  v.,  2-17.  »  Matt,  xii.,  8;  Luke  vi.,  5. 

J  Mark  ii.,  27. 


336         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

mony  before  a  committee  of  the  British  ParHa- 
ment,  said : 

"The  ordinary  exertions  of  man  run  down  the 
circulation  every  day  of  his  Hfe,  and  the  first  law  of 
nature,  by  which  God  (who  is  not  only  the  giver,  but 
is  also  the  preserver  of  life)  prevents  man  from  de- 
stroying himself,  is  the  alternating  of  day  and  night, 
that  repose  may  succeed  action.  But  although  the 
night  apparently  equalises  the  circulation  well,  yet 
it  does  not  sufficiently  restore  its  balance  for  the 
attainment  of  a  long  life.  Hence,  one  day  in  seven, 
by  the  bounty  of  Providence,  is  thrown  in  as  a  day 
of  compensation,  to  perfect  by  its  repose  the  animal 
system."* 

The  proper  observance  of  Sunday  has  been  a 
mooted  question  largely  because  physical  inaction 
or  cessation  from  physical  labour  was  considered 
the  only  kind  of  rest  a  human  being  required.  As 
man  has  a  spiritual  and  mental  as  well  as  a 
physical  body  which  needs  rest,  the  observance 
of  the  Lord's  day  should  not  be  limited  to  the 
resting  of  the  physical  body  alone. 

Rest  is  not  gained  solely  from  inactivity.  Change 
of  scene,  change  of  occupation,  and  change  of 
thought  often  furnish  the  best  kind  of  rest. 

Rest  consists  in  not  merely  letting  the  wheels 
run  down  and  quietude  take  the  place  of  action, 

'  Quoted  from  The  Sabbath  for  Man,  by  Rev.  Wilbur  F.  Crafts, 
pp.  200,  201. 


Sunday   Observance  337 

but  it  also  includes  the  replenishing  of  the  wasted 
parts  and  the  oiling  of  the  entire  human  machinery. 

Stinday  should  be  observed  in  such  a  way  that 
on  Monday  morning  the  individual  will  start  out 
with  harder  muscles,  stronger  nerves,  a  clearer 
mind,  and  a  purer  heart  than  he  possessed  on  the 
previous  Saturday  night. 

In  order  to  be  of  best  service  to  the  individual 
and  to  fulfil  its  true  mission,  Sunday  should  be 
observed  in  a  manner  different  from  all  other 
days.  "The  Sabbath  was  made  for  man,"  that 
is,  for  the  development  of  the  highest  and  best  in 
man. 

As  man's  spiritual  nattire  is  of  greater  impor- 
tance to  his  present  and  futiure  well-being  than  are 
his  mental  and  physical  natures,  the  chief  duty 
of  the  individual  should  be  to  keep  Sunday  in 
such  a  way  as  to  elevate  and  develop  his  spiritual 
nature.  This  he  can  do  by  coming  into  commun- 
ion with  the  Almighty  in  the  closet  and  in  the 
sanctuary,  by  reading  God's  Word,  and  by  serving 
his  brothers  and  sisters  in  need. 

"No  man  [said  Dr.  Joseph  Parker]  who  uses  the 
Church  as  the  Church  ought  to  be  used  can  find 
anywhere  an  influence  that  ought  to  admit  of  a  com- 
petitive position  for  one  moment,  when  the  church 
services  are  rightly  conducted,  in  their  music,  in  their 
devotion,  in  their  pulpit  instruction;  when  the  revela- 
tion of  God  is  treated  in  all  its  firmamental  breadth 
and  all  its  solar  lustrousness  there  will  be  no  place,  on 


338  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

all  the  green  earth,  so  attractive  and  so  grand  as  the 
house  of  God."^ 

The  duty  second  in  importance  for  Sunday 
observance  is  the  resting  and  developing  of  the 
mind.  The  reading  of  trashy  stories,  the  witness- 
ing of  immoral  or  suggestive  plays,  the  directing 
of  thoughts  into  impure  or  degrading  channels,  is 
making  of  Sunday  a  time  for  the  lowering  and  not 
for  the  ennobling  of  the  mind,  and  such  use  of  the 
day  is,  therefore,  contrary  to  the  teachings  of 
Christ. 

Should  novels  be  read  on  Sunday?  If  the 
reading  of  a  novel  rests  one's  mind,  elevates  one's 
thought,  and  purifies  one's  outlook  on  life,  then 
such  reading  would  not  be  a  desecration  of  the  day. 

Should  libraries  and  art-galleries  be  open  to  the 
public  on  Sunday?  As  libraries  contain  the 
wisdom  of  the  ages,  the  great  thoughts  uttered 
by  the  world's  most  eminent  seers  and  philoso- 
phers, one  who  comes  under  their  influence  cannot 
fail  to  receive  inspiration,  uplift,  and  strength 
which  will  enable  him  to  play  well  his  part  in  the 
theatre  of  life;  and, therefore,  no  reasonable  objec- 
tion can  be  raised  to  the  sacrificing  of  the  few 
attendants  for  the  bringing  of  good  to  the  many. 
The  refining  influence  of  the  beauty  of  line,  colour, 
and  design,  and  the  ennobling  effect  of  the  heroic 
ideals  which  artists  have  produced  on  canvas,  can- 

» Inner  Life  of  Christ,  p.  206. 


Sunday   Observance  339 

not  be  over-estimated  in  their  value  on  the  lives 
of  those  who,  with  open  minds  and  open  hearts, 
view  the  masterpieces  of  art. 

The  sole  restriction  placed  on  the  Sunday  open- 
ing of  libraries  and  art-galleries  should  be,  that 
these  institutions  be  opened  only  after  the  close 
of  the  morning  services  in  the  churches,  in  order 
that  the  highest  form  of  spiritual  regeneration 
may  not  be  sacrificed  to  a  less  powerful  stimulant 
for  the  elevation  of  mankind. 

Should  card-playing  be  indulged  in  on  Sunday? 
If  the  mind  can  secure  rest  in  no  other  way — that 
is,  in  a  way  by  which  rest  and  improvement  are 
combined,  then  card-playing  on  Sunday  ought  not 
to  be  condemned. 

Should  theatre  performances  be  permitted  on 
Sunday?  This  question  has  a  threefold  aspect: 
first,  the  effect  on  the  performers;  second,  the 
effect  on  the  audience;  third,  the  effect  on  the 
community. 

First:  If  the  acting  of  the  play  tends  to  rest 
and  upbuild  the  physical,  mental,  and  spiritual 
natures  of  the  actor,  then  acting  is  not  an  objec- 
tionable use  of  the  day. 

Second :  If  the  effect  of  the  play  on  the  audience 
is  to  enlarge  the  horizon,  to  elevate  the  ideal,  and 
to  purify  the  mind,  then  the  witnessing  of  the 
play  on  Sunday  is  not  antagonistic  to  Christ's 
teachings  on  the  observance  of  the  day. 

Third:    If  the  play  has  a  refining  and  ennobling 


340         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

effect  on  the  community,  then  the  question  be- 
comes a  personal  one  with  the  actor:  Could  I 
make  better  use  of  the  day  than  by  presenting 
upon  the  stage  pictures  which  will  stimulate  the 
audience  to  lead  nobler  and  purer  lives? 

The  third  human  element  is  the  physical,  which 
is  of  less  importance  than  the  spiritual  and  the 
mental.  As,  however,  the  spiritual  and  mental 
quaUties  depend  largely  for  their  growth  and  de- 
velopment upon  the  health  and  strength  of  the 
physical  body,  the  physical  well-being  of  the  in- 
dividual should  be  given  careful  consideration. 

Is  it  an  imchristian  act  to  play  base-ball,  golf, 
or  tennis,  to  dance,  or  to  indulge  in  automobile 
or  carriage  rides  on  Sunday?  To  take  exercise 
which  rests,  strengthens,  and  develops  the  physical 
body,  and  which  at  the  same  time  has  no  injurious 
effect  on  the  spiritual  and  mental  being,  is  in  keep- 
ing with  Christ's  teachings  on  the  observance  of 
Sunday. 

The  purpose  of  Sunday  being  for  the  upbuild- 
ing of  the  whole  man,  the  day  should  be  so  used 
that  the  spiritual,  mental,  and  physical  natures 
may  receive  rest,  strength,  and  development. 

The  amount  and  kind  of  rest  the  individual 
should  take  on  Sunday  should  be  determined  by 
the  temperament  of  the  man,  his  physical  con- 
dition, the  kind  of  work  in  which  he  is  engaged 
during  the  week,  and  the  conditions  under  which 
the  work  is  performed. 


Sunday   Observance  341 

The  relative  importance  of  man's  threefold 
nature  should  be  kept  clearly  in  mind,  in  order 
that  the  lower  may  not  be  developed  at  the  expense 
of  the  higher.  The  development  of  the  spiritual 
being  should  have  the  foremost  place  in  one's 
thoughts  and  the  larger  portion  of  the  day  devoted 
to  its  cultivation.  Mental  improvement  should 
be  placed  second  only  to  the  spiritual,  and  the 
physical  should  receive  the  least  consideration. 

Shall  one  do  work  on  Sunday?  If  by  the 
sacrifice  of  self  others  may  enjoy  benefits  other- 
wise unobtainable,  then  Simday  work  is  Christian. 
Christ  sat  at  meat  on  the  Sabbath  day  in  the 
house  of  one  of  the  Pharisees,  and  servants  waited 
on  Him;  and  He  rebuked  them  not.  No  higher 
or  better  use  can  be  made  of  the  Lord's  day  than 
to  dedicate  it  to  the  service  of  humanity.  Noth- 
ing so  rests,  strengthens,  and  ennobles  an  individual 
as  self-sacrificing  service  for  the  good  of  mankind. 
By  consecrating  Sunday  as  a  day  for  forgetting 
self  in  the  doing  of  good  to  others,  a  man  will 
receive  all  the  benefits  the  day  was  intended  to 
give  to  him. 

On  Monday  morning  the  individual  can  deter- 
mine whether  he  observed  the  preceding  Sunday 
as  he  should  have  done.  If  his  body  is  wasted 
by  dissipation,  if  his  energies  are  exhausted 
from  frivolous  games  or  from  gross  amusements, 
if  his  tone  of  life  is  lowered  from  mere  animalism, 
then  he  misused  the  "Lord's  day." 


342  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Finally,  the  individual  has  no  right  to  indulge  in 
any  act,  however  intrinsically  innocent  or  harm- 
less it  may  appear  to  him,  if  by  such  act  he  will 
influence  others  to  their  injury.  The  conduct 
to  be  observed  on  Sunday  should  be  based  on 
two  considerations:  first,  will  it  influence  others 
for  good,  and,  second,  will  it  develop  the  best 
within? 


INTERNATIONAL  CONTROVERSIES 


343 


INTERNATIONAL  CONTROVERSIES 

CHRIST'S  mission  on  earth  was  of  a  twofold 
character:  first,  to  reveal  man's  relation  to 
God  and  his  relation  to  other  men;  and,  second, 
to  teach  the  obligations  and  duties  arising  out 
of  such  relationship. 

Christ  declared  that  God  is  the  Father  of  all, 
and  that  such  Fatherhood  of  God  necessarily 
created  the  brotherhood  of  man.  The  obligations 
of  this  sonship  were  summed  up  by  Christ  in 
these  words :  **  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God 
with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and 
with  all  thy  mind,  and  with  all  thy  strength  " ;  and 
the  obligation  of  brotherhood,  in  this  statement : 
"Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighboin-  as  thyself."^ 

Love  for  one's  neighbour  is  the  essenceof  Christ's 
message  regarding  our  dealings  with  one  another. 
If  the  right  attitude  of  a  Christian  toward  his 
neighbour  is  love,  then  the  attitude  of  a  group  of 
Christians  toward  other  groups  of  men  should  be 
love.  This  is  so,  because  a  nation  is  an  "aggre- 
gation of  persons,"*  or  as  Prof.  Cooley  says: 
"Nation  is  nearly  synonymous  with  people,  and 
in  the  United  States  it  is  applied  to  the  whole 

« Mark  xii.,  28-31.  *  Century  Dictionary. 

345 


346  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

body  of  the  people  coming  under  the  jurisdiction 
of  the  Federal  Government,"*  and  therefore  the 
duties  and  obligations  resting  on  a  nation  are 
identical  with  those  resting  on  the  individuals 
constituting  the  nation. 

The  recognition  of  the  brotherhood  of  man 
should  be  the  basis  of  international  intercourse 
and  international  dealings.  Though  men  live 
on  opposite  shores  of  the  ocean,  and  possess  differ- 
ent coloured  skins  and  speak  different  languages, 
and  observe  different  customs,  and  give  their 
fealty  to  different  flags,  they  are  nevertheless 
brothers  and  should  treat  each  other  as  brothers. 
Neither  class,  nor  race,  nor  national  boundaries 
can  sever  the  bond  of  brotherhood  or  release 
the  obligation  of  neighbourliness  as  is  clearly  af- 
firmed in  the  parable  of  the  man  who  fell  among 
thieves  on  the  road  to  Jericho.^  Universal  brother- 
hood entailing  universal  love,  as  the  basic  concep- 
tion of  the  relation  of  man  to  man,  was  absolute 
and  unchangeable  in  the  teachings  of  the  Master. 
If  a  Christian  loves  his  brother,  how  can  he  run 
him  through  with  a  bayonet,  or  pick  him  off  with 
a  rifle,  or  blow  him  to  pieces  with  a  shell,  or  send 
him  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea  with  a  torpedo? 

The  law  of  Christ  is,  love  and  forgive  your 
enemy ;  the  law  of  war  is,  hate  and  destroy  your 
enemy.     James  Russell  Lowell  has  written: 

'  "  Const.  Limit.,"  5th  ed.  Prin.  Const.  Law,  p.  20. 
'  Luke  X.,  29-37. 


International  Controversies       347 

"Ez  fer  war,  I  call  it  murder, 

There  you  hev  it  plain  and  flat. 
I  don't  need  to  go  no  furder 
Than  my  Testyment  fer  that." 

To-day,  the  most  costly  and  deadly  armaments 
for  the  killing  of  men  in  war  are  being  wrought, 
not  by  the  nations  that  owe  their  allegiance  to 
Mahomet,  the  prophet  of  the  sword,  but  by  those 
nations  which  profess  allegiance  to  the  Prince  of 
Peace. 

Dr.  Channing  has  well  said: 

"Here  is  the  evil  of  war  that  man,  made  to  be  the 
brother,  becomes  the  deadly  foe,  of  his  kind;  that 
man,  whose  duty  it  is  to  mitigate  suffering,  makes  the 
infliction  of  suffering  his  study  and  end;  that  man, 
whose  office  it  is  to  avert  and  heal  the  wounds  which 
come  from  nature's  powers,  makes  researches  into 
nature's  laws,  and  arms  himself  with  her  most  awful 
forces,  that  he  may  become  the  destroyer  of  his 
race." 

Mr.  Ernest  H.  Crosby  has  written: 

"Yes,  war  is  hell,  as  General  Sherman  long  ago 
told  us;  but  he  did  not  go  on  to  tell  us  why.  There 
is  only  one  possible  reason.  Hell  is  not  a  geographical 
term;  it  is  merely  the  expression  of  the  spiritual 
condition  of  its  inhabitants.  War  is  hell  because  it 
transforms  men  into  devils.  And  how  naturally  the 
terminology  of  hell  accommodates  itself  to  it!  In 
different  coltmins  of  a  single  copy  of  the  New  York 


34^         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Herald,  describing,  I  think,  different  engagements,  I 
read  that  the  soldiers  'fought  Hke  demons,*  and 
'yelled  like  fiends.'  It  is  all  so  natural  that  probably 
no  one  noticed  it  but  myself.  And  so  we  found  in  the 
case  of  the  burning  Spanish  ship  the  word  'inferno* 
seemed  the  most  appropriate."^ 

In  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  Christ  declared : 
"Blessed  are  the  peacemakers,  for  they  shall  be 
called  the  children  of  God"^;  and  as  His  aim  was 
to  bring  "peace  on  earth, "  His  disciples  should  be 
ambassadors  of  peace. 

The  late  Lord  Russell,  former  Lord  Chief -Justice 
of  England,  said  that  "the  ultimate  aim  in  the 
actions  of  men  and  of  communities  ought  to  con- 
form to  the  divine  precept — 'Do  unto  others  as 
you  would  that  others  should  do  unto  you.* " 

"If  the  so-called  Christian  nations  were  nations 
of  Christians  there  would  be  no  wars,"  wisely 
declares  Lord  Avebury,^  for  where  love  is  en- 
throned, wars  and  rumours  of  war  are  unknown. 

Since  all  the  nations  of  the  present  day  are  not 
Christian  and  since  those  nations  calling  them- 
selves "Christian"  do  not  always  adhere  to  the 
teachings  of  Christ,  international  controversies  are 
bound  to  happen,  disputes  to  arise,  and  conflicts 
to  occur, — arousing  the  passions,  inflaming  the 
imaginations,  and  inducing  the  animal  spirit  in 

'  War  from  the  Christian  Point  of  View,  p.  5. 

'  Matt,  v.,  9. 

3  Peace  and  Happiness,  p.  383. 


International  Controversies       349 

man  to  call  for  the  bloody  arbitrament  of  war. 
Is  there  no  way  of  escape  from  such  a  darkening, 
blighting  prospect,  no  method  suggested  by 
Christ  whereby  international  differences  and 
controversies  may  be  justly  and  peaceably  settled? 

For  nineteen  hundred  years,  the  teachings  of 
Christ  have  had  no  place  in  the  council  chambers 
of  the  nations.  The  attitude  of  the  judge  in  the 
trial  of  the  young  Doukhobor  was  and  now  is 
symbolical  of  the  attitude  of  the  statesmen  of  the 
world.  On  a  Doukhobor's  refusal  to  enter  the 
Russian  army,  he  was  brought  for  trial  before  a 
judge,  who  reasoned  with  him  concerning  the 
folly  of  his  course.  By  way  of  defence,  the 
Doiikhobor  responded  with  a  homily  upon  the 
teachings  of  Jesus.  "Quite  right  you  are," 
answered  the  judge,  "from  the  point  of  abstract 
virtue,  but  the  time  has  not  yet  come  to  put  into 
practice  the  literal  sayings  of  Christ. "  "  The  time 
may  not  have  come  for  you,  your  Honour, "  was 
the  reply,  "but  the  time  has  come  for  us."* 

To  His  disciples,  Christ  said: 

"If  thy  brother  shall  trespass  against  thee,  go  and 
tell  him  his  fault  between  thee  and  him  alone.  If  he 
will  not  hear  thee,  then  take  with  thee  one  or  two 
more,  that  in  the  mouth  of  two  or  three  witnesses 
every  word  may  be  established. 

"If  he  shall  neglect  to  hear  thee,  tell  it  unto  the 

'  Newer  Ideals  oj  Peace,  by  Jane  Addams,  p.  230. 


350         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

church;  and  if  he  neglect  to  hear  the  church,  let  him 
be  unto  thee  as  a  heathen  man  and  a  publican."^ 

By  applying  Christ's  teachings  to  groups  of 
individuals,  such  as  nations,  a  sane,  just,  and 
equitable  solution  of  all  international  controversies 
will  be  found. 

First:  "If  thy  brother  shall  trespass  against 
thee,  go  and  tell  him  his  fault  between  thee  and 
him  alone." 

Whenever  an  international  controversy  arises, 
the  aggrieved  nation,  through  its  diplomatic 
agents,  should  at  once  enter  into  negotiations  for 
the  securing  of  a  peaceful  settlement. 

The  accustomed  method  of  opening  negotia- 
tions by  the  firing  of  a  cannon  or  by  the  sinking 
of  a  warship  is  contrary  to  the  teachings  of 
Christ. 

If,  after  exhausting  all  diplomatic  measures,  the 
controversy  remains  unsettled,  Christ  indicates 
the  following  step  to  be  taken. 

Second:  "If  he  will  not  hear  thee,  then  take 
with  thee  one  or  two  more,  that  in  the  mouth  of 
two  or  three  witnesses  every  word  may  be  estab- 
lished." 

When  personal  negotiation  has  proved  ineffect- 
ual, the  aggrieved  nation  should  call  friendly 
sister  nations  to  its  aid  in  order  to  effect  a  peaceful 
settlement. 

*  Matt,  xviii.,  15-17. 


International  Controversies       351 

When  friendly  mediation  has  proved  of  no 
avail,  Christ  directs : 

Third:  "If  he  shall  neglect  to  hear  thee,  tell 
it  unto  the  church. " 

In  the  days  of  Christ,  the  Sanhedrin,  the  court 
of  the  church,  was  the  final  court  of  appeal  wherein 
all  controversies,  both  legal  and  reHgious,  were 
settled. 

When  diplomacy  and  mediation  have  failed  to 
bring  about  a  settlement,  Christ  commands  that 
all  international  controversies  be  submitted  to  a 
court  of  the  nations. 

Fourth:  "If  he  neglects  to  hear  the  church, 
let  him  be  unto  thee  as  a  heathen  man  and  a 
publican." 

If  either  nation  refuses  to  submit  its  side  of  the 
controversy  to  a  court,  or  if,  after  a  controversy 
has  been  so  submitted,  it  refuses  to  abide  by  the 
coiurt's  decision,  the  aggrieved  nation,  even  in  that 
extremity,  has  no  right  to  resort  to  war,  but  should 
sever  all  diplomatic  and  consular  commiinications 
with  the  opposing  nation  and  thenceforth  ignore 
its  existence. 

The  events  of  the  nineteenth  century  clearly  re- 
veal two  apparently  diverse  streams  of  thought  con- 
cerning international  relations  and  international 
disputes.  Preparations  for  war  from  year  to  year 
had  finally,  at  the  close  of  the  century,  built 
up  the  most  complete,   colossal,  and  expensive 


352         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

system  of  militarism  that  the  worid  had  ever  seen; 
while,  during  the  same  period  of  time,  more  had 
been  done  to  prevent  war  and  to  secure  peace  than 
had  been  accomplished  in  the  preceding  fifteen 
hundred  years. 

The  dread  of  the  results  of  war,  the  fear  of  being 
caught  unprepared  for  war,  and  the  belief  that 
preparedness  for  war  is  the  best  security  for  peace, 
have  caused  the  nations  to  annually  increase  the 
nimiber  of  their  battleships  and  the  size  of  their 
standing  army.  To-day  the  governments  of  the 
world  are  bent  almost  to  breaking  under  the  weight 
of  the  ever  increasing  armaments  and  are  rapidly 
drifting  toward  bankruptcy  in  order  to  uphold 
their  honour  should  it  be  assailed,  to  protect 
their  interests  should  they  be  imperilled,  and  to 
destroy  their  neighbours  should  it  be  considered 
expedient. 

President  Jacob  Gould  Schurman  of  Cornell,  in 
speaking  before  the  Second  National  Peace  Con- 
gress, May  2,  1909,  said: 

"The  preparations  for  war  in  modem  times  bear 
with  tremendous  weight  in  times  of  peace  upon  all 
classes  of  the  community.  The  financial  load  is 
enough  to  make  the  richest  nations  reel  and  stagger. 
As  Senator  Hale  has  stated,  two-thirds  of  all  the 
revenue  of  the  United  States  are  used  to  defray  the 
expenses  entailed  by  past  wars  or  necessary  in  the 
preparation  for  future  wars.  Taking  Europe  as  a 
whole,  something  like  6,000,000  of  people  are  now  in 


International  Controversies       353 

arms,  withdrawn  from  industrial  pursuits.  Their 
maintenance  is  all  the  time  a  burden  on  the  produc- 
tive classes  of  the  community.  It  is  estimated  that 
Europe  is  regulariy  expending  on  her  standing  armies 
from  $6,000,000,000  to  $7,000,000,000.  And  the 
most  powerful  European  nations  are  at  this  moment 
competing  with  one  another  in  extravagant  expendi- 
tures on  their  armies  and  navies." 

The  United  States,  separated  and  distant  from 
other  nations,  and  thus  in  least  danger  of  attack, 
with  a  cosmopolitan  population,  made  up  of  all 
races  and  thus  linked  to  all  nations  by  ties  of 
affection,  during  the  ten  years  prior  to  1898, 
spent  on  the  army  and  navy,  exclusive  of  pension 
charges,  $507,000,000.  For  the  ten  years  fol-j 
lowing  1898,  the  expenses  amounted  to  $1,626,000,- 
000,  or  $1,119,000,000  more  than  in  the  prior 
ten  years.  ^ 

The  appropriations  for  the  year  ending  June 
30,  1910,  for  the  army,  fortifications,  and  military 
academy,  amounted  to  $111,897,515.67;  for  the 
navy,  $136,935,199.05;  and  for  pensions,  $160,- 
908,000,  or  a  total  appropriation  on  account  of 
wars  and  preparations  therefor  of  $409,740,714.42, 
while  the  total  executive,  legislative,  and  judicial 
appropriations  for  the  same  period  of  time  amoun- 
ted to  only  $32,007,049,  the  former  being  twelve 
times  as  much  as  the  latter. 

'  Address  of  Hon.  David  J.  Brewer,  June  12,  1909,  reported 
in  The  Advocate  of  Peace,  Oct.,  1909,  p.  207. 


354         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

During  the  last  one  hundred  years  Europeans 
have  been  growing  more  and  more  cosmopoHtan. 
The  enormous  increase  of  production  and  com- 
merce has  created  business  relations  (inter- 
national exchanges  reaching  the  enormous  sum 
of  $28,000,000,000  a  year)  which  have  been 
binding  the  people  of  the  various  nations  closer 
together ;  while  travel,  due  to  the  improved  facili- 
ties of  transportation,  the  reading  of  newspapers 
which  convey  timely  information  of  every  im- 
portant event  that  happens  throughout  the  world, 
and  the  constant  flow  and  return  of  millions  of 
emigrants  across  national  lines,  are  breaking  down 
the  barriers  of  prejudice  and  national  egoism,  and 
are  obliterating  many  of  the  old  misconceptions 
held  by  the  people  of  one  nation  with  regard  to 
the  people  of  other  nations.  This  general  diffusion 
of  enlightenment  has  partially  dispelled  the  quix- 
otic spirit  which  formerly  caused  the  people  to  fly 
to  arms  when  their  national  pride  was  pricked, 
and  has  created  in  the  minds  of  all,  except  the 
military  classes,  a  yearning  for  undisturbed  oppor- 
tunities to  develop  the  internal  life  of  the  state 
and  to  encourage  the  growth  of  the  arts  and  the 
sciences.  The  "trusts"  with  their  myriads  of 
stockholders,  whose  businesses  are  hampered 
and  restricted  by  frontier  duties  and  customs, 
are  deeply  interested  in  obliterating  state  lines, 
at  least  for  commercial  purposes.  The  people 
have  awakened  to  the  immense  economical  im- 


International  Controversies       355 

portance  of  a  closer  friendship,  and  realise,  as 
never  before,  that  their  material  interests  are 
identical,  while  their  business  sense  reveals  to 
them  the  value  of  co-operative  action.  Hon.  J.  A 
Tawney  has  well  said : 

"  We  have  entered  upon  an  era  of  national  special- 
isation, where  all  nations  are  more  or  less  inter- 
dependent, where  a  nation  relies  upon  other  nations 
for  some  of  the  necessities  of  its  life,  where  no  nation 
lives  to  itself  alone,  and  where  none  can  perish  with- 
out loss  to  the  world." ^ 

So  closely  interwoven  are  the  business  interests 
of  the  entire  world  that  it  would  be  "like  tearing 
a  physical  organism  limb  from  limb"  for  the 
inauguration  "in  our  day  of  war  between  civilised 
states."' 

Markets  cannot  be  won  by  brute  force.  Cus- 
tomers cannot  be  gained  at  the  point  of  a  bayonet. 
Business  relations  presuppose  willingness  in  both 
parties.  To  conquer  a  neighbouring  country  by 
killing  its  people  and  suppressing  its  commerce 
and  industry  would  not  be  the  means  of  securing 
a  good  customer. 

The  spirit  of  commercialism  is  the  predomina- 
ting force  in  the  world  to-day.     Ideals  of  chivalry 

»  "  The  Cost  of  Armed  Peace,"  The  Advocate  of  Peace,  August, 
1909,  p.  182. 

'  Prof.  John  B.  Clark,  Advocate  of  Peace,  February,  1910, 
p.  42. 


356         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

and  of  feudal  allegiance  to  the  head  of  a  state,  are 
fast  dying  out ;  and  in  their  stead,  ideals  of  com- 
mercial power  for  the  state  and  for  the  individual 
are  being  held  up  and  worshipped.  In  the  words 
of  Jean  de  Bloch,  "The  soldier  is  going  down  and 
the  economist  is  going  up."  In  the  long  run,  all 
governments,  even  absolute  monarchies,  are  swayed 
by  the  mass  of  their  population.  This  is  evidenced, 
to-day,  in  the  attempted  overturning  of  the  Rus- 
sian autocracy  by  the  common  people.  Therefore, 
when  it  comes  to  a  conflict  of  opinion  between  the 
people  whose  pockets  are  affected  and  the  rulers 
whose  pride  or  ambition  is  at  stake,  the  people 
generally  win.  Irresistible  forces  are  drawing  the 
people  of  the  world  together  geographically,  in- 
dustrially, and  socially;  and  it  is  becoming  more 
evident,  day  by  day,  that  the  men  of  all  nations 
are  inextricably  involved  in  one  great  world 
enterprise. 

The  truth  of  this  statement  is  manifested  in  the 
existence  of  the  International  Institute  of  Agri- 
culture, the  International  Association  of  Labour 
Legislation,  the  International  Postal,  Telegraph, 
and  Railway  Unions,  unions  for  mutual  police 
assistance,  the  unions  for  the  development  of 
international  sanitation,  and  the  many  semi- 
public  associations  designed  to  realise  the  ideal 
of  a  world  unity  in  the  great  field  of  economic  life. 

"We  speak  of  foreign  nations  [says  Lord  Avebury], 


International  Controversies       357 

but  in  reality  there  are  no  foreign  nations.  The 
interests  of  the  nations  intermingle  to  such  a  point 
that  we  are  united  with  one  another  by  bonds  so 
strong,  even  where  they  are  not  visible,  that  if  one 
suffers,  all  suffer;  if  one  prospers,  the  others  profit 
by  this  prosperity."^ 

The  burden  of  vast  armies  and  navies  is  becom- 
ing intolerable  to  all  classes.  The  people  are 
crying  out  against  the  almost  unbearable  taxes 
which  are  due  to  the  constant  expenditure  of 
money  for  instruments  of  war.  A  first-class 
battleship  of  to-day  costs  $10,000,000,  which 
amount  is  greater  than  the  valuation  of  the  land 
and  the  one  hundred  buildings  of  Harvard  Uni- 
versity, together  with  all  the  farms  and  buildings 
of  Hampton  and  Tuskegee  Institutes.  So  rapidly 
are  new  inventions  being  introduced  that  a  battle- 
ship becomes  obsolete  and  is  forced  out  of  service 
in  about  ten  years  after  it  has  been  built. 

Mr.  W.  T.  Stead  has  recently  declared: 

"Among  the  real  causes  of  the  Revolution  in 
Russia  must  be  placed:  i.  The  excessive  cost  of 
the  army.  2.  The  enormous  expenditure  over  the 
navy.  3.  The  ruinous  protective  tariff  which  has 
bled  the  peasant  in  order  to  enrich  the  exchequer  and 
the  trusts.  It  is  the  economic  results  of  these  three 
causes  which  have  drained  the  life-blood  out  of 
Russia,  far  more  than  the  excesses  of  lawless  arbitrary 
rule  which  have  brought  about  the  catastrophe." 

*  Revue  de  V Internationalisme  of  June,  1907. 


358         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

The  people  are  beginning  to  realise  that  in  most 
instances  war  does  not  pay,  and  are  considering 
the  business  side  of  the  matter.  According  to 
eminent  Fraich  statisticians,  a  conflict  in  Europe 
between  two  first-class  continental  powers  would 
cost  each  of  them  in  the  neighbourhood  of  $5,000,- 
000  a  day.  The  expenditure  of  this  sum  daily, 
in  addition  to  the  amount  they  could  raise  by  the 
introduction  of  new  taxes,  would  compel  the  nations 
to  have  recourse  to  the  accumulated  capital  of 
the  world's  money  market.  New  securities  would 
have  to  be  issued  and  sold  in  order  to  raise  this 
money,  and,  as  a  consequence,  the  general  level 
of  values  would  be  lowered,  invested  capital 
would  be  diverted,  and  financial  loss  would  result 
to  security  holders. 

At  the  present  time,  war  on  a  large  scale  implies 
such  gigantic  economic  disaster  as  to  spell  almost 
national  ruin  for  each  combatant  and  loss  to  the 
world  at  large. 

The  new  battleships,  torpedo  boats,  submarine 
vessels,  and  various  munitions  of  war  have  such 
devastating  effects  on  life  and  property,  as  was 
demonstrated  during  the  recent  Russo-Japanese 
conflict,  that  no  nation  can  forecast  the  result  of 
a  war. 

Sir  Henry  Campbell  -  Bannerman  pertinently 
asks  this  question : 

"Is  it  not  evident  that  a  process  of  simultaneous 


International  Controversies       359 

and  progressive  arming  defeats  its  own  purpose? 
Scare  answers  to  scare,  and  force  begets  force,  until 
at  length  it  comes  to  be  seen  that  we  are  racing  one 
against  another  after  a  phantom  security  which  con- 
tinually vanishes  as  we  approach.  If  we  hold  with 
the  late  Mr.  Hay,  that  'war  is  the  most  futile  and 
ferocious  of  human  follies,'  what  are  we  to  say  of  the 
surpassing  futility  of  expending  the  strength  and 
substance  of  nations  on  preparations  for  war,  posses- 
sing no  finality,  amenable  to  no  allegiance  that  states- 
men can  devise,  and  forever  consuming  .  .  .  the 
well-being  and  vitality  of  its  people .?" 

Then,  again,  the  people  are  realising  that  the 
effect  of  war  is  demoralising;  that  the  tendency  of 
war  is  to  destroy  the  strong  and  to  leave  the  weak 
and  less  efficient  to  carry  on  the  national  work 
and  to  reproduce  the  population ;  and  that  in  most 
respects  war  is  as  bad  as  General  Sherman  tersely 
expressed  it:  "Its  glory  is  all  moonshine.  It  is 
only  those  who  have  neither  fired  a  shot  nor  heard 
the  shrieks  and  groans  of  the  wounded,  who  cry 
aloud  for  more  blood,  more  vengeance,  more 
desolation.     War  is  hell. " 

A  war  invariably  leaves  a  nation  morally, 
physically,  and  financially  weaker  than  it  was 
before.  It  leaves  it  morally  weaker,  because 
through  war  hate  is  developed,  rapacity  awakened, 
and  lust  cultivated ;  it  leaves  it  physically  weaker, 
because  it  is  the  physically  strong  who  fight  and 
in  so  many  cases  become  invalids  or  die;  it  leaves 


360  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

it  financially  weaker,  because  even  success  will  not 
secure  an  indemnity  equal  to  the  money  spent, 
the  resources  wasted,  and  the  property  destroyed. 

The  assertion  that  war  is  needed  to  make  man- 
hood, may  be  answered  by  the  queries:  How 
many  soldiers  should  be  slain  in  order  to  retemper 
the  manhood  of  a  nation?  How  can  we  determine 
when  enough  men  have  been  slain  in  order  to 
meet  the  requirements  of  progress? 

It  is  a  pretty  weak  state  that  can  inspire  its 
citizens  with  patriotic  enthusiasm  only  by  the 
infliction  of  injury  on  mankind  or  by  the  demon- 
stration of  its  power  to  do  so.  To  awaken  the 
animal  spirit  in  man  to  fight  and  kill  is  not  the 
only  way  to  awaken  patriotic  love. 

A  contempt  for  life,  whether  one's  own  or 
another's,  which  is  the  teaching  of  war  and  the 
essence  of  military  heroism,  invariably  leads  to 
the  deterioration  of  all  that  is  finest  and  best  in 
htunan  character.  It  is  in  direct  opposition  to 
the  mission  of  Christ  which  was  to  value,  to  save, 
and  to  enrich  human  life. 

Miss  Jane  Addams  has  wisely  said : 

"We  may  admit  that  the  experiences  of  war  have 
equipped  the  men  of  the  present  with  pluck  and 
energy,  but  to  insist  upon  the  selfsame  expression  for 
that  pluck  and  energy  would  be  as  stupid  a  mistake 
as  if  we  would  relegate  the  full-grown  citizen,  respond- 
ing to  many  claims  and  demands  upon  his  powers,  to 
the  school-yard  fight  of  his  boyhood,  or  to  the  college 


International  Controversies       361 

contests  of  his  cruder  youth.  The  little  lad  who 
stoutly  defends  himself  on  the  school-ground  may  be 
worthy  of  much  admiration,  but  if  we  find  him,  a 
dozen  years  later,  the  bullying  leader  of  a  street-gang, 
who  bases  his  prestige  on  the  fact  that  'no  one  can 
whip  him,'  our  admiration  cools  amazingly,  and  we 
say  that  the  carrying  over  of  those  puerile  instincts 
into  manhood  shows  arrested  development  which  is 
mainly  responsible  for  filling  our  prisons."' 

Then  again  in  our  day,  war  "depends,  not,  as 
heretofore,  on  individual  bravery,  on  the  power 
of  a  man's  nerves,  the  keenness  of  his  eye,  the 
strength  of  his  body,  or  the  power  of  his  soul,  if  one 
may  so  speak,  but  it  is  a  mere  technical  mode  of 
slaughtering  your  fellow-men. "  * 

"  It  would  be  simply  preposterous, "  wrote  Prof. 
William  James,  "if  the  only  force  that  could  work 
ideals  of  honour  and  standards  of  efficiency  into 
English  or  American  nations  should  be  the  fear 
of  being  killed  by  the  Germans  or  the  Japanese. "  ^ 

The  desire  of  the  nations  is  for  peace.  England's 
recent  experience  in  South  Africa  has  caused  her 
to  dread  another  war.  This  fear  has  impelled 
her  to  strain  her  resources  in  order  to  secure  a 
fleet  powerful  enough  to  deter  other  nations  from 
attacking  her. 

»  Newer  Ideals  of  Peace,  p.  211. 

»  John  Bright' s  Speeches,  edited  by  Rogers,  vol.  ii.,  p.  413. 
3  "The  Moral  Equivalent  of  War,"  International  Conciliation, 
series  No.  27,  p.  20. 


362  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

In  explaining  the  reasons  which  induced  the 
British  Government  to  conclude  the  Anglo- 
Japanese  treaty,  the  Marquis  of  Lansdowne 
said : 

"  What  are  the  objects  of  the  alliance  ?  The  first 
is  the  maintenance  of  peace — the  greatest  of  all 
British  interests  ...  I  believe  that  our  alliance  will 
make,  not  for  war,  but  for  the  maintenance  of  peace, 
and  I  think  that  we  may  venture  to  say  that  if  Great 
Britain  and  Japan  desire  that  peace  be  maintained 
in  the  Far  East  peace  will  not  be  broken." 

France  is  tired  of  war.  Her  population  is  not 
increasing  rapidly  enough  to  stand  the  strain  of 
warfare.  Russia  has  learned  a  lesson  she  will 
never  forget.  Germany  has  had  such  ill-luck 
with  her  colonies  in  Africa  and  other  portions  of 
the  globe  that  her  adventurous  spirit  of  conquest 
and  her  yearning  for  new  possessions  are  somewhat 
quenched.  Bismarck's  policy  to  conduct  affairs 
so  as  to  strengthen  the  Fatherland  and  to  create 
no  diversified  interests  which  would  demand 
enormous  expenditures  for  a  large  navy  is  becom- 
ing more  popular  with  the  people  day  by  day, 
though  the  ruling  powers  are  spreading  alarm  by 
portraying  in  lured  tints  the  war  spectre  with  a 
view  to  increasing  the  naval  strength;  while  the 
other  nations  are  so  little  prepared  for  war  that 
they  are  compelled  to  crush  out  all  desire  for 
territorial  acquisitions. 


International  Controversies       363 

So  far  as  the  United  States  is  concerned,  there 
are  only  four  nations  who  are  powerful  enough 
to  even  consider  the  project  of  attacking  her,  viz: 
England,  France,  Germany,  and  Japan.  These 
four  nations  are,  however,  the  especial  friends  of 
the  United  States.  England  and  the  United 
States  are  becoming  more  allied  day  by  day; 
Germany  and  the  United  States  are  better  friends 
than  ever  before;  France  and  the  United  States 
have  always  stood  hand  in  hand;  while  Japan  is 
bound  to  the  United  States  by  ties  of  gratitude, 
and,  outside  of  mischief  makers,  has  no  feeling 
toward  the  United  States  save  that  of  good  will. 

This  prevailing  tendency  of  the  nations  is 
evidenced  by  the  expressed  views  of  statesmen. 
The  statesmanship  of  the  twentieth  century  is 
becoming  far  different  from  what  it  was  a  hundred 
years  ago.  It  has  now  become  known  that  some 
of  the  greatest  international  wars  of  the  last 
century  were  brought  on  by  the  deliberate  machina- 
tions of  statesmen.  The  attitude  of  the  present- 
day  statesmen  was  exemplified  at  the  celebration 
of  the  tercentenary  of  the  discovery  of  Lake  Cham- 
plain,  in  July,  1909,  when  President  Taft,  ex- 
Secretary  of  State  Root,  Ambassador  Jusserand  of 
France,  and  Ambassador  Bryce  of  Great  Britain, 
instead  of  glorifying  the  heroism  displayed  on  the 
battle-fields  about  the  ruins  of  Fort  Ticonderoga, 
pleaded  for  peace,  universal  and  permanent, 
President  Taft  saying :    "I  echo  and  emphasise  the 


364         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

statements  of  the  Ambassadors,  and  repeat  their 
prayer  that  never  again  may  this  great  valley  be 
given  a  name  in  history  by  reason  of  its  being  the 
seat  of  bloody  war."  Dr.  Charles  E.  Jefferson  has 
wisely  said:  "All  the  protection  that  a  nation 
needs  in  the  twentieth  century  is  the  disposition 
in  her  rulers  and  statesmen  to  love  mercy  and  do 
justly,  and  walk  as  a  nation  ought  to  walk."  ^ 

The  disease  which  afflicts  so  many  to-day  has 
been  described  by  Dr.  Jefferson  in  these  words: 

"When  men  become  infected  with  the  poison  of 
militarism  they  have  many  of  the  sjmiptoms  of  a 
man  in  delirium  tremens,  the  world  becomes  filled 
with  snakes,  day  and  night  are  crowded  with  horrors, 
the  imiverse  is  a  hateful,  hostile,  hissing  thing,  and 
every  moment  gives  birth  to  a  new  peril."* 

This  disease  blinds  men  to  the  true  effect  of 
increasing  armaments,  so  declared  Sir  H.  Camp- 
bell-Bannerman,  late  Prime  Minister  of  Great 
Britain,  in  an  address  on  December  22,  1905.  He 
further  said: 

"I  hold  that  the  growth  of  armaments  is  a  great 
danger  to  the  peace  of  the  world.  The  policy  of 
huge  armaments  feeds  the  belief  that  force  is  the  best, 
if  not  the  only,  solution  of  international  differences. 
It  is  a  policy  which  tends  to  inflame  old  sores  and  to 
create  new  sores;  and  I  submit  to  you  that  as  the 

»  Some  Fallacies  of  Militarism,  p.  5.  *  Ibid.,  p.  5. 


International  Controversies       365 

principle  of  peaceful  arbitration  gains  ground  it 
becomes  one  of  the  highest  tasks  of  statesmen  to  ad- 
just armaments  to  the  new  and  happier  conditions." 

To  save  nations  from  themselves,  there  must 
emerge  from  the  present  unparalleled  increase  of 
armaments  a  league  of  peace  embracing  the  most 
advanced  nations  and  providing  an  arbitral 
tribimal  for  the  settlement  of  all  disputes. 

A  little  more  than  one  hundred  years  ago  no 
arbitration  treaty  had  been  adopted  between  the 
nations  of  the  earth.  Since  then,  however,  treaties 
of  arbitration  have  been  entered  into  by  nation 
after  nation,  imtil  there  are  now  nearly  one  hun- 
dred arbitration  treaties  in  force,  the  United 
States  alone  having  adopted  twenty-four  obligatory 
arbitration  treaties. 

The  United  States  in  1794  led  the  way  in 
negotiating  with  great  Britain  what  is  known  as 
Jay's  Treaty,  by  which  the  United  States  and 
Great  Britain  agreed  to  arbitrate  contested 
boundary  claims;  claims  preferred  by  British 
creditors;  and,  more  especially,  the  claims  of 
American  and  British  creditors  based  upon 
"irregular  or  illegal  captures  or  condemnations 
of  their  vessels  and  other  property. "  Since  that 
time,  471  international  controversies,  according 
to  Dr.  Darby,'  200,  according  to  Mr.  Fried, 2  136, 

»  Darby's  International  Tribunals,  4th  ed.,  pp.  769-900. 
» Fried,  pp.  125-153. 


366  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

according  to  Prof.  Moore/  were  settled  by  ar- 
bitration without  a  single  decision  being  rejected. 
All  civilised  nations  have  had  recourse  to  arbi- 
tration, some  of  them  many  times.  Arbitration 
is  no  longer  an  experiment;  it  is  the  prevailing 
practice  of  the  nations. 

Great  national  and  international  peace  con- 
gresses have  been  held  recently;  more  than  five 
hundred  peace  societies  have  been  organised  in  the 
various  countries,  with  the  exception  of  Russia 
and  Turkey;  and  a  great  Inter-Parliamentary 
Union  has  been  established  with  2500  members. 
At  the  meeting  of  the  Inter- Parliamentary  Union, 
held  in  Berlin  in  1909,  the  Parliament  of  Japan, 
the  Russian  Duma,  and  the  newly  organised 
Turkish  Parliament  were  represented.  Side  by 
side  sat  delegates  from  the  Parliaments  of  England, 
of  France,  of  Germany,  of  Austria-Hungary,  of 
Italy,  of  Belgium,  of  the  Netherlands,  and  of  the 
Scandinavian  nations,  as  well  as  representatives 
of  the  American  Congress. 

The  influence  which  will  be  exerted  by  this 
Inter-Parliamentary  Union  was  well  pictured  by 
Nicholas  Murray  Butler  in  his  address  at  the 
Lake  Mohonk  Conference  on  International  Arbi- 
tration, May  19,  1909: 

"Each  year  that  the  representatives  of  a  national 
parliament  sit  side  by  side  with  the  representatives 

'  "A  Hundred  Years  of  American  Diplomacy,"  J4th  Harvard 
Law  Review,  No.  165,  pp.  182,  183. 


International  Controversies       367 

of  the  parliaments  of  other  nations,  look  their  col- 
leagues in  the  face,  and  discuss  with  them  freely  and 
frankly  important  matters  of  international  concern,  it 
will  become  more  difficult  for  them  to  go  back  and 
vote  a  declaration  of  war  against  the  men  from  whose 
consiiltation  room  they  have  just  come." 

More  than  three  hundred  organisations,  inter- 
national in  character,  have  been  organised  and 
are  holding  stated  annual  congresses.  The  dele- 
gates come  from  all  parts  of  the  world  and^ 
regardless  of  nationality  and  race,  join  hands  in 
promoting  the  accomplishment  of  some  inter- 
national reform  or  crusade. 

The  exchange  of  visits  of  commissions  and 
prominent  men  of  one  country  with  those  of 
another,  in  official  and  representative  character, 
tends  to  inaugurate  peace.  This  exchange  of 
visits  has  been  most  conspicuous  among  uni- 
versity professors,  and  delegates  from  boards  of 
trade  and  chambers  of  commerce.  Further,  the 
Cecil  Rhodes  Scholarships  by  which  fifteen  Ger- 
man, ninety-six  American,  and  seventy-eight 
colonial  students  are  brought  into  contact  with 
Englishmen  at  the  University  of  Oxford  are  carry- 
ing out  Mr.  Rhodes' s  plan  of  bringing  about 
such  an  "understanding  between  the  three  great 
Powers  [as]  will  render  war  impossible, "  because, 
as  he  declared,  "educational  relations  make  the 
strongest  ties. " 

The  first  formal  Peace  Congress  of  accredited 


368  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

representatives  of  twenty-six  nations  met  at 
The  Hague,  May  i8,  1899,  upon  the  invitation  of 
Czar  Nicholas  of  Russia,  and  was  the  first  con- 
ference of  all  the  nations  known  to  history;  and, 
disregarding  strength,  they  met,  deliberated,  and 
voted  as  equals,  their  meetings  covering  a  period 
of  more  than  four  months,  and  although  the 
questions  discussed  were  necessarily  acute,  general 
harmony  prevailed. 

The  results  of  the  deliberations  of  this  First 
Conference  have  been  summarised  by  Hon.  James 
Brown  Scott  as  follows: 

"The  work,  then,  of  this  conference  took  shape  in 
three  great  conventions.  The  jEirst  was  the  conven- 
tion for  the  peacefiil  settlement  of  international 
conflicts,  which  convention  established:  first,  the 
right  of  nations  to  offer  their  good  offices  and  media- 
tion without  having  the  offer  or  mediation  considered 
as  an  unfriendly  act  by  either  or  any  of  the  contending 
parties;  second,  a  commission  of  inquiry  to  ascertain 
the  facts  of  an  international  difficulty  of  great  and 
serious  importance,  so  that  the  facts  involved  might 
be  found  impartially  by  a  commission  composed  of 
neutrals  as  well  as  nationals;  third,  the  convention 
for  the  pacific  solution  of  international  conflicts  by 
providing  a  court  of  arbitration.  Perhaps  I  would 
better  say,  provided  for  a  court  of  international 
arbitration,  because  that  court  was  to  be  created 
when  the  international  controversy  arose.  Each 
nation  was  to  select  and  appoint,  and  notify  to  a 
board  created  at  The  Hague,  not  more  than  four 


International  Controversies       369 

persons  of  good  moral  character  and  competent  in 
international  law.  In  case  of  a  conflict,  each  party 
was  to  select  one  or  more  from  this  list  of  judges. 
The  judges  were  to  select  their  umpire,  their  presiding 
officer,  or  the  nations  were  to  provide  otherwise  for 
the  selection  of  the  tmipire.  In  order  that  the 
tribtmal  thus  constituted  might  be  of  service,  and  in 
order  that  litigants  might  know  the  exact  procedure 
to  be  followed  before  it,  an  elaborate  system  of  pro- 
cedure was  drawn  up  and  approved. 

"The  second  great  convention  of  the  First  Con- 
ference was  the  convention  for  the  adaptation  of  the 
Red  Cross  to  maritime  warfare. 

"The  third  great  convention  was  the  codification 
of  the  laws  and  customs  of  land  warfare,  which, 
composed  by  experts,  assumed  the  proportions  of  an 
elaborate  code."^ 

The  Second  Hague  Conference  assembled  in 
1907,  and  was  attended  by  representatives  from 
forty-four  different  Powers. 

The  Second  Conference  accomplished  five  things: 
First:  It  unanimously  agreed  that  no  nation 
should  hereafter  have  recourse  to  armed  force 
for  the  collection  of  contracted  debts,  "unless  the 
debtor  state  refuses  or  leaves  unanswered  an  offer 
to  arbitrate,  or,  in  case  of  acceptance,  makes  it 
impossible  to  formulate  the  terms  of  submission, 
or,  after  arbitration,  fails  to  comply  with  the 
award  rendered. " 

'  Document  5,  Ass' n  for  International  Conciliation,  pp.  10,  11. 


370         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Second:  It  was  unanimously  voted  by  the 
nations  present  and  voting  that  there  should  be 
established  a  permanent  International  Court  of 
Arbitral  Justice,  a  supreme  court  of  the  world, 
composed  of  permanent  judges,  versed  in  the 
systems  of  law  existing  in  the  modern  civilised 
world.  On  account  of  their  inability  to  agree  on 
a  method  of  selecting  the  judges  of  the  court,  the 
court  was  not  organised,  but  the  conference  recom- 
mended that  this  court  be  established  upon  the 
basis  of  the  project  approved,  and  that  it  be 
organised  as  soon  as  the  signatory  Powers  should 
agree  upon  the  method  of  appointing  judges. 
The  exact  nature  of  the  court  is  defined  in  the  first 
paragraph  of  the  convention: 

"In  order  to  further  the  cause  of  arbitration, 
the  contracting  Powers  agree  to  organise,  without 
injury  to  the  permanent  Court  of  Arbitration,  a 
Court  of  Arbitral  Justice,  free  and  easy  of  access,  com- 
posed of  judges  representing  the  different  judicial 
systems  of  the  world  and  capable  of  assuring  the 
continuity  of  arbitral  jurisprudence." 

Third:  Over  two-thirds  of  the  nations  (thirty- 
two  Powers  voting  in  favour  and  nine  against) 
voted  in  favour  of  signing  a  general  treaty  of  obli- 
gatory arbitration  which  would  refer  all  questions 
not  affecting  vital  honour  to  The  Hague  Tribunal. 
Owing  to  the  opposition  of  Germany  and  Austria, 
the  treaty  was  not  adopted. 


International  Controversies       371 

Fourth:  It  passed  several  bills  which  will 
greatly  hiimanise  any  possible  war. 

Fifth:  It  provided  for  a  meeting  of  a  third 
conference  within  the  next  eight  years,  to  be 
under  the  control  of  the  Powers  generally,  instead 
of  under  any  one  of  them. 

Since  1903,  more  than  eighty  treaties  of  obli- 
gatory arbitration,  stipulating  reference  to  The 
Hague  Court  of  all  questions  of  a  political  order 
and  those  arising  in  the  interpretation  of  treaties, 
have  been  concluded  between  nations  in  pairs. 

In  1908,  England  and  France  signed  a  treaty 
of  alHance,  which  pledged  them  to  stand  together 
in  preserving  the  peace  of  Europe;  Russia,  Great 
Britain,  and  Norway  signed  a  treaty  making 
Norway  neutral  ground;  Germany,  Denmark, 
France,  Great  Britain,  and  Sweden  signed  a 
declaration  neutralising  all  land  bordering  on  the 
North  Sea;  Russia,  Germany,  Denmark,  and 
Sweden  signed  a  declaration  neutralising  all  land 
bordering  on  the  Baltic  Sea;  and  the  United  States 
and  Japan  signed  an  agreement  insuring  the  peace 
of  the  Pacific. 

While  many  treaties  have  been  adopted  pledg- 
ing the  nations  to  submit  their  controversies  to 
arbitration,  yet  with  the  exception  of  the  treaties 
negotiated  by  Denmark  and  the  Netherlands,  by 
Denmark  and  Italy,  and  by  the  Argentine  Re- 
public and  Chile,  all  the  nations  have  refused 
to  arbitrate  questions    which    affect    "National 


372         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Honour,"  "Independence,"  and  "Vital Interests." 
Mr.  James  Bryce  has  written : 

"Questions  of  so-called  national  honour  are  often 
just  the  questions  which  most  need  to  be  referred 
to  arbitration,  inasmuch  as  they  are  those  which  a 
nation  finds  it  hardest  to  recede  from  when  it  has 
once  taken  up  a  position,  so  that  the  friendly  inter- 
vention of  a  third  party  is  especially  valuable.  .  .  . 

"The  value  of  arbitration,  or  of  conciliation,  by  a 
third  party  lies  not  merely  in  its  providing  a  means 
of  determining  a  difficult  issue  of  law  or  fact,  but  in 
its  making  it  easy  for  the  contracting  parties  to 
abate  their  respective  pretensions  without  loss  of 
dignity." 

Is  war  a  more  reliable  defender  of  national 
honour  than  is  arbitration? 

In  1 87 1,  France  refused  to  arbitrate  with 
Germany  because  her  dignity  and  honour  were 
involved  in  the  dispute ;  whereupon,  through  war, 
she  sacrificed  the  lives  of  several  hundred  thousand 
of  her  bravest  sons,  and  in  the  end  lost  two  of  her 
finest  provinces,  and  paid  to  Germany,  the  assail- 
ant of  her  dignity,  $1 ,000,000,000. 

History  clearly  proves  that,  with  nations  as  well 
as  with  individuals,  "no  man  can  be  judge  of  his 
own  cause,  "^  and  render  a  just  decision.  A 
nation,  like  an  individual,  can  see  but  one  side  of 
a  controversy  when  its  interests  are  involved,  and 

*  Brown's  Legal  Maxims,  116. 


International  Controversies       373 

is  unable  to  view  the  position  of  its  opponent 
calmly  and  fairly  and,  by  comparing  and  weighing 
the  two  positions,  to  reach  a  just  conclusion. 
Personal  interest  always  colours  the  views,  distorts 
the  merits  of  the  adverse  position,  and  seljSishly 
directs  the  judgment. 

A  nation's  honour  is  never  compromised  by 
temperance  nor  injured  by  forbearance.  The 
honour  of  a  nation  is  in  her  own  keeping  and  not  in 
the  keeping  of  her  neighbour ;  therefore,  it  cannot 
be  lost  save  by  her  own  act.  When  the  honour  of 
a  nation  is  impeached,  the  accused  nation  should 
forthwith  carefully  examine  into  the  accusation 
in  order  to  ascertain  if  it  is  well  founded ;  by  going 
to  war  and  destroying  the  accusing  nation,  the 
falsity  of  the  accusation  will  not  thereby  be 
adjudicated.  If  the  accusation  be  true,  it  cannot 
be  obliterated  in  the  blood  of  the  accuser,  but  only 
in  the  reformation  of  the  accused ;  if  the  accusation 
be  false,  the  submitting  of  the  question  of  its 
falsity  to  a  disinterested  tribunal  will  bring  the 
truth  to  light  and  shame  to  the  unjust  accuser. 

"A  nation's  honour  [said  Frederick  R.  Coudert] 
consists  in  fidelity  to  her  engagements,  in  carrying 
out  her  contracts  in  spirit  as  in  the  letter,  in  paying 
her  just  debts,  in  respecting  the  rights  of  others,  in 
promoting  the  welfare  of  her  people,  in  the  encourage- 
ment of  truth,  in  teaching  obedience  to  the  law,  in 
cultivating  honourable  peace  with  the  world."* 

'  Addresses,  p.  40. 


374  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

President  Taft,  in  his  speech  before  the  Peace 
and  Arbitration  League  of  New  York,  March  22, 
1910,  said: 

"Personally  I  do  not  see  any  more  reason  why 
matters  of  national  honour  should  not  be  referred  to  a 
court  of  arbitration  any  more  than  matters  of  property 
or  matters  of  national  proprietorship.  I  know  that 
is  going  farther  than  most  men  are  willing  to  go,  but 
I  do  not  see  why  questions  of  honour  may  not  be 
submitted  to  a  tribunal  supposed  to  be  composed  of 
men  of  honour  who  understand  questions  of  national 
honour,  to  abide  by  their  decision,  as  well  as  any  other 
question  of  difference  arising  between  nations." 

Were  all  the  wars  fought  in  the  past  unjust  and 
unchristian? 

St.  Mark  has  written: 

"And  they  come  to  Jerusalem:  and  Jesus  went 
into  the  temple,  and  began  to  cast  out  them  that 
sold  and  bought  in  the  temple,  and  overthrew  the 
tables  of  the  money-changers,  and  the  seats  of  them 
that  sold  doves ; 

"And  would  not  suffer  that  any  man  should  carry 
any  vessel  through  the  temple. 

"And  he  taught,  saying  unto  them,  Is  it  not 
written.  My  house  shall  be  called  of  all  nations  the 
house  of  prayer?  but  ye  have  made  it  a  den  of 
thieves."* 

'Mark  xi.,  15-17;  Matt,  xxi.,  12,  13. 


International  Controversies       375 

The  only  way  by  which  the  temple  could  have 
been  cleansed  was  by  the  use  of  force,  and  force 
was  employed  by  Christ.  To  defend,  to  protect, 
to  rescue  others,  Christ  used  force;  but  to  defend, 
protect,  or  rescue  Himself,  He  used  no  force. 

From  the  life  and  teachings  of  Christ,  a  nation 
may  discern  the  course  to  be  taken  in  its  dealings 
with  other  nations.  A  nation  may  rightfully 
enter  upon  a  war  to  save  another  from  being  de- 
stroyed, provided  it  has  first  exhausted  all  other 
means  of  rescuing  the  sister  nation  from  threatened 
destruction. 

If  the  United  States  did  all  in  its  power  to  save 
Cuba  from  being  looted  and  destroyed  by  Spain, 
and  after  doing  all,  failed ;  and  if  it  could  not  have 
saved  Cuba  except  by  war,  and  entered  upon  the 
war  with  the  sole  object  of  saving  Cuba,  then  the 
Spanish- American  war,  so  far  as  the  United  States 
was  concerned,  was  a  just  and  Christian  war. 
If,  however,  Cuba  could  have  been  saved  by 
diplomacy  or  mediation,  then  the  war  was  un- 
justifiable. If,  on  the  other  hand,  Cuba  could 
have  been  saved  by  submitting  the  case  to  arbi- 
tration, the  war  should  not  have  been  entered 
upon.  If  the  United  States  declared  war  for  the 
purpose  of  gain,  or  aggrandisement,  or  in  revenge 
for  the  destruction  of  the  Maine,  the  war  was 
unchristian,  and  the  United  States  was  guilty 
of  an  anti-Christian  act. 


376  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

TertuUian  asked:  "Shall  it  be  lawful  for 
Christians  to  wield  the  sword,  when  our  Master 
declares  that  he  who  shall  use  the  sword  shall 
perish  by  the  sword?"* 

If  a  war  be  undertaken  for  the  saving  of  a  sister 
nation,  the  championing  nation,  though  its  object 
be  Christian,  shall  nevertheless  not  escape  the 
evil  effects  of  war.  "All  they  that  take  the  sword 
shall  perish  with  the  sword, "^  said  Christ;  and 
He  based  this  statement  on  the  effects  of  war  and 
not  on  the  motive  which  precipitated  the  war. 
To  act  the  Christian  part  and  still  be  free  from 
suffering  thereby,  the  nations  should  see  to  it 
that  The  Hague  Tribunal  becomes  the  court  to 
which  all  international  controversies  shall  be  sub- 
mitted, and  to  its  decisions  all  nations  shall  give 
assent. 

Is  it  Utopian  to  expect  that  the  United  States 
and  the  various  nations  of  Europe,  with  their 
diverse  traits,  differing  languages,  and  peculiar 
customs,  can  be  brought  to  adopt  a  general  arbi- 
tration treaty  which  would  provide  for  the  sub- 
mission of  all  international  controversies  to  The 
Hague  Court? 

The  putting  aside  of  the  jealousy  and  distrust 
which  existed  among  the  American  colonies,  and 
the  adoption  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States,  and  the  creation  of  the  Supreme  Court 
before  which  the  States,  independent  in  all  that 

'  De  Cor.,  cap.  xi,  »  Matt,  xxvi.,  52. 


International  Controversies       377 

relates  to  their  domestic  government,  agreed  to 
submit  all  controversies  arising  between  them, 
seemed  to  many  to  be  but  a  visionary  and  un- 
workable plan.  Yet,  for  more  than  a  century, 
with  but  one  exception,  the  States  have  lived 
up  to  the  terms  of  the  Constitution  and  have 
brought  to  the  Supreme  Court  all  their  disputes 
and  have  readily  and  cheerfully  acquiesced  in  its 
decisions. 

There  is  a  strong  analogy  between  the  different 
States  of  the  Union  and  the  various  countries  of 
Europe,  an  analogy  which  deserves  careful  con- 
sideration. 

A  more  powerful  example,  however,  is  the 
Federal  Court  of  Switzerland,  which  settles  all 
disputes  which  arise  between  the  various  cantons 
of  that  nation.  These  cantons  are  of  different 
blood,  customs,  and  jurisprudence.  Some  are 
French  and  are  governed  by  the  French  code; 
some  are  German  and  are  governed  by  the  German 
law;  some  are  Italian  and  are  governed  by  the 
laws  distinctive  of  Italy.  Yet  for  centuries  these 
states  have  submitted  their  controversies  to  a 
court  which  can  be  traced  back  through  various 
modifications  to  the  fourteenth  century.  The 
Swiss  system  is  a  clear  demonstration  of  the  fact 
that  the  ideal  of  a  permanent  tribunal  for  deciding 
controversies  between  people  of  different  races 
is  not  the  dream  of  a  visionary,  but  a  reality. 

Mr.  L.  T.  Hobhouse  has  recently  said: 


378  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

"Universal  and  permanent  peace  may  be  a  vision; 
but  the  gradual  change  whereby  war,  as  a  normal 
state  of  international  relations,  has  given  place  to 
peace  as  the  normal  state,  is  no  vision,  but  an  actual 
process  of  history  probably  forwarded  in  our  day  by 
the  development  of  international  law  and  of  morals, 
and  voluntary  arbitration  based  thereon."^ 

Universal  and  enduring  peace  can  never  be 
maintained  until  the  teachings  of  Christ  become 
the  sole  rule  for  the  guidance  of  the  nations  in 
their  dealings  with  one  another.  To  bring  about 
the  acceptance  of  the  olive  branch  as  the  emblem 
of  diplomacy,  the  enthronement  of  the  "Golden 
Rule"  as  the  guiding  policy  of  the  nations,  and 
the  adoption  of  Christ's  plan  for  the  settlement 
of  all  international  controversies,  the  following 
means  are  suggested: 

(i)  Let  ministers  and  Sunday-school  teachers 
continually  uphold  Christ,  as  the  "Prince  of 
Peace,"  and  instead  of  glorifying  the  warriors  of 
the  Old  Testament,  teach  the  Gospel  of  the 
Nazarene,  that  the  mission  of  the  children  of  God 
is  to  bring  about  conditions  wherein  there  will  be 
neither  war  nor  rumours  of  war,  where  love  will 
be  eminently  exalted  in  all  hearts,  and  where 
brotherhood  will  be  the  sustained  relationship 
among  all  the  nations  of  the  earth. 

John  Bright,  with  his  keen  insight  into  social 
problems,  once  said: 

*  Democracy  and  Reaction,  p.  197. 


International  Controversies       379 

"  Why  is  it  that  there  has  never  been  a  combination 
of  all  religions  and  Christian  teachers  of  all  countries 
with  a  view  of  teaching  the  people  what  is  true, 
what  is  Christian,  upon  the  subject? 

"I  believe  it  lies  within  the  power  of  the  churches 
to  do  far  more  than  statesmen  can  do  in  matters  of 
this  kind.  I  believe  they  might  so  bring  the  question 
home  to  the  hearts  and  consciences  of  the  Christian 
and  good  men  and  women  of  their  congregations, 
that  a  great  combination  of  public  opinion  might  be 
created  which  would  wholly  change  the  aspect  of 
this  question  in  this  country  and  before  the  world, 
and  would  bring  to  the  minds  of  statesmen  that  they 
are  not  the  nilers  of  the  people  of  Greece,  or  of  the 
marauding  hordes  of  ancient  Rome,  but  that  they  are, 
or  ought  to  be,  the  Christian  rulers  of  a  Christian 
people." 

(2)  Create  ideals  of  peace  and  cease  upholding 
military  heroes  as  objects  of  worship.  This  may 
be  done  by  the  teachers  of  the  young, — in  the 
home,  in  the  school,  and  in  the  church, — by 
picturing  the  suffering  of  Andersonville  and  the 
slaughter  of  Cold  Harbour  as  vividly  as  the  glory 
of  Pickett's  charge  and  the  triimiph  of  Sherman's 
march;  by  dwelling  upon  the  horrors  of  war 
instead  of  the  acts  of  heroism ;  by  minimising  the 
achievements  of  war,  and  by  giving  the  achieve- 
ments of  peace  their  proper  recognition;  and 
finally,  by  teaching  that  the  greatest  hero  is  he 
who  by  calmness  and  self-restraint  prevents  a 
war. 


38o         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Very  true,  indeed,  are  the  words  of  the  soldier 
and  statesman  Carl  Schurz: 

"The  old  Roman  poet  tells  us  that  it  is  sweet  and 
glorious  to  die  for  one's  country.  It  is  noble,  indeed. 
But  to  die  on  the  battlefield  is  not  the  highest  achieve- 
ment of  heroism.  To  live  for  a  good  cause,  honestly, 
earnestly,  unselfishly,  laboriously,  is  at  least  as  noble 
and  heroic  as  to  die  for  it,  and  usually  far  more 
difficult." 

Let  the  opinion  of  General  U.  S.  Grant,  Ameri- 
ca's great  military  genius,  be  etched  deeply  on  the 
mind  of  every  child : 

"Though  I  have  been  trained  as  a  soldier,  and  have 
participated  in  many  battles,  there  never  was  a  time 
when,  in  my  opinion,  some  way  could  not  have  been 
found  of  preventing  the  drawing  of  the  sword.  I 
look  forward  to  an  epoch  when  a  court,  recognised 
by  all  nations,  will  settle  international  differences, 
instead  of  keeping  large  standing  armies,  as  they  do 
in  Europe." 

The  march  of  time  has  beheld  the  cessation, 
first,  of  bloody  contests  of  individuals,  then  of 
families,  then  of  clans,  then  of  towns,  and  to 
complete  the  evolution  of  the  Christ  teaching, 
the  cessation  of  war  between  nations  should  be 
the  work  of  Christians  of  the  present  day. 


International  Controversies       381 

At  the  laying  of  the  comer-stone  of  the  building 
for  the  International  Union  of  American  Republics, 
Hon.  Elihu  Root,  speaking  as  Secretary  of  State, 
said: 

"There  are  no  international  controversies  so 
serious  that  they  cannot  be  settled  peaceably  if 
both  parties  desire  peaceable  settlement,  while 
there  are  few  causes  of  dispute  so  trifling  that  they 
cannot  be  made  the  occasion  of  war  if  either  party 
really  desires  war."^ 

From  the  beginning  of  time  people  have 
been  educated  to  war,  as  war  was  in  the  early 
stages  of  social  development  necessary  to  their 
very  existence.  To  educate  the  war  spirit  out 
of  the  human  race,  ideals  of  peace  must  be  im- 
planted in  the  mind  of  every  school  child. 

(3)  Rebuke  the  inflammable  press  and  the 
interests  which  stir  up  war  talk  and  the  war  spirit, 
by  boycotting  the  offending  papers  and  ostracising 
the  unchristian  editors  and  proprietors. 

The  late  John  Hay  said: 

"If  the  press  of  the  world  would  adopt  and  persist 
in  the  high  resolve  that  war  should  be  no  more,  the 
clangour  of  arms  would  cease  from  the  rising  of  the 
sun  to  its  going  down,  and  we  could  fancy  that  at 
last  our  ears,  no  longer  stunned  by  the  din  of  armies, 
might  hear  the  morning  stars  singing  together  and 
all  the  sons  of  God  shouting  for  joy." 

'  American  Journal  of  International  Law,  1908,  vol.  ii.,  p.  624. 


382  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

Rear- Admiral  C.  F.  Goodrich  has  well  said: 

"When  the  people  want  peace,  they  will  have 
peace;  when  they  want  war,  they  will  have  war,  and 
they  are  likely  to  want  that  of  which  most  is  sung 
and  written  and  spoken.  The  more  we  talk  about 
peace,  the  less  our  chance  for  war.  .  .  .  You  must 
labour  with  these  gentlemen  of  the  press,  that  they 
use  their  mighty  powers  toward  allaying  race  hatred 
and  toward  sweetening  and  brightening  international 
relations,  that  they  report  the  graces  and  virtues  of 
men  of  alien  blood  and  speech,  not  their  supposed 
defects  of  character,  and  so  shall  they  bring  all 
nations  of  earth  together  in  that  perfect  understand- 
ing and  sympathy  in  which  war  can  have  no  place."  ^ 

(4)  By  creating  peace  societies  so  that  public 
opinion  may  be  formed  and  solidified  to  demand 
peace  and  the  settlement  of  international  disputes 
by  the  submission  of  all  controversies  to  a  court 
of  international  justice  to  be  established  perma- 
nently at  The  Hague.  To-day,  governments, 
however  powerful  and  however  popular,  have 
ceased  to  dominate;  everywhere  public  opinion 
dominates  governments. 

By  the  adoption  of  these  remedies,  a  time  will 
surely  come  when  all  nations  of  the  earth  will 
follow  the  example  of  Canada  and  the  United 
States  in  adopting  a  treaty  whereby  the  forts 
along  the  frontier  separating  the  nations  will  be 

^  Proceedings  of  Thirteenth  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Lake 
Mohonk  Conference  on  International  Arbitration,  1907, 


International  Controversies       383 

dismantled  and  peace  will  be  maintained  without 
a  battleship,  fort,  or  soldier,  and  will  follow  in  the 
footsteps  of  Chile  and  the  Argentine  Republic, 
and  thereby  will  usher  in  that  perfect  day  of 
millennial  glory  when  the  peace  of  Christ  shall 
rule  the  world. 

The  seventy-year  dispute  between  Chile  and 
the  Argentine  Republic  over  the  boundary  line 
on  the  Andes  Mountains  was  about  to  culminate 
in  a  war  in  the  early  part  of  1900.  Both  nations 
were  draining  their  treasuries  in  preparation  for 
the  impending  conflict,  and  their  tax  for  arma- 
ments amounted  annually  to  five  dollars  per 
capita  of  their  population. 

The  soldiers  were  gathering  for  a  desperate  and 
fearful  struggle,  and  hostilities  were  about  to  begin, 
when  on  Easter  Sunday,  owing  to  the  powerful 
appeals  of  Bishop  Bonavente  of  Argentine  and  of 
Bishop  Jara  of  Chile,  the  hearts  of  the  people 
of  both  countries  were  aroused  to  the  horrors  of 
war  and  their  minds  were  directed  to  the  Christian 
method  of  settling  international  disputes,  and 
they  arose  in  their  might  and  demanded  that  the 
subject  of  controversy  be  submitted  to  arbitration. 

The  King  of  England  was  selected  as  arbitrator, 
and  his  decision  was  cheerfully  accepted  by  both 
countries.  So  grateful  were  the  people  at  the 
outcome  of  the  dispute  that  in  June,  1903,  the 
two  governments  concluded  a  treaty  by  which 
they  pledged  themselves  for  a  period  of  five  years 


384         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

to  submit  to  arbitration  all  controversies  aris- 
ing between  them,  thereby  entering  into  the  first 
general  arbitration  treaty  ever  concluded.  By 
a  further  treaty  they  agreed  to  reduce  their 
armies  to  the  proportions  of  police  forces,  to  stop 
the  building  of  battleships,  and  to  diminish  their 
naval  armaments. 

The  result  of  this  disarmament  was  that  the 
battleships  were  sold,  several  marine  vessels  were 
turned  over  to  the  commercial  fleets,  and  the  land 
forces  were  reduced  in  number. 

With  the  money  saved  by  the  lessening  of 
military  and  naval  expenses,  good  roads  were  laid 
out,  a  much  needed  breakwater  in  the  harbour  of 
Valparaiso  was  built,  a  Chilean  arsenal  was 
turned  into  a  school  for  manual  training,  and  the 
great  trans- Andean  railway  connecting  Buenos 
Ayres  with  Santiago  was  constructed. 

In  commemoration  of  the  beginning  of  inter- 
national peace  and  of  the  blessings  which  followed, 
a  statue  of  Christ  was  cast  from  old  cannons, 
placed  on  gun  carriages  and  dragged  by  the 
soldiers  and  sailors  of  the  two  nations  up  to  the 
summit  of  the  Andes,  where  on  March  13,  1904, 
to  the  sound  of  music  and  the  booming  of  guns, 
the  Argentines  ranging  themselves  on  the  soil  of 
Chile  and  the  Chileans  on  the  Argentine  side  of 
the  peak  which  separated  the  two  countries,  the 
statue  was  unveiled. 

On  the  crest  of  the  highest  mountain  of  the 


International  Controversies       385 

Andes,  which  marks  the  boundary  line  of  the  two 
nations,  stands  a  granite  base  weighing  fourteen 
tons,  supporting  a  bronze  statue  of  Christ  twenty- 
six  feet  in  height.  The  statue  represents  Christ 
holding  in  His  left  hand  a  cross,  while  His  right 
hand  is  stretched  out  in  blessing,  and  gives  to  all 
the  world  notice  of  the  pledge  inscribed  thereon: 

"Sooner  shall  these  mountains  crumble  into 
dust  than  Argentines  and  Chileans  break  the 
peace  to  which  they  have  pledged  themselves  at 
the  feet  of  Christ  the  Redeemer." 

Chile  and  the  Argentine  Republic,  by  their 
united  action  in  enthroning  Christ  in  their  midst 
and  in  pledging  themselves  to  bring  about  His 
teaching  of  "Peace  on  earth,  good  will  to  men," 
have  in  their  limited  sphere  ushered  in  the  day 
when  the  vision  of  the  prophet  Isaiah  has  been 
made  a  reality: 

"And  he  shall  judge  among  the  nations,  and 
shall  rebuke  many  peoples ;  and  they  shall  beat 
their  swords  into  ploughshares,  and  their  spears 
into  pruning-hooks :  nation  shall  not  lift  up  sword 
against  nation,  neither  shall  they  learn  war  any 
more." 


SOCIAL  RECONSTRUCTION 


387 


SOCIAL  RECONSTRUCTION 

FROM  all  parts  of  our  country  comes  the  voice 
of  suffering  humanity  calling  for  such  a 
reconstruction  of  the  social  life  of  the  nation  as 
will  enable  the  individual  to  rise  above  the  dreary, 
grinding,  hopeless,  drink-impelling,  life-blood- 
vitiating  conditions  in  the  midst  of  which  he  lives. 
Many,  oppressed  by  the  "grief  of  things  as  they 
are, "  have  barkened  to  this  cry  and  have  or- 
ganised relief  societies  for  the  purpose  of  ameliora- 
ting these  conditions;  churches  are  awakening  to 
their  social  mission;  the  Socialist  party,  with  its 
plan  for  an  economic  re-adjustment,  is  rapidly 
gaining  recruits;  and  wide-visioned,  thoughtful, 
Christian  people  are  endeavouring  to  reform  our 
social  conditions.  The  need  of  immediate,  intelli- 
gent action  is  very  great,  but  to  many  earnest 
souls  the  way  to  regenerate  the  social  life  of 
America  seems  to  be  enveloped  in  the  mists  of 
uncertainty.  Some,  who  are  eager  to  reconstruct 
society,  are  groping  in  the  darkness  of  the  fright- 
ful conditions  of  slum  life,  with  no  lamp  to  guide 
their  footsteps  and  no  Bethlehem-star  ahead  to 
mark  their  journey's  end.  To  those  who  seek  for 
guidance  in  uprooting  social  evils,  curing  social 
maladies,  and  righting  social  wrongs,  the  following 
suggestions  are  offered. 

389 


390         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

The  first  step  to  he  taken  in  order  to  bring  about 
a  reconstruction  of  society  is  to  obtain  a  full  and 
complete  knowledge  of  the  social  facts. 

Service,  to  be  efficient,  must  be  based  on  accur- 
ate and  adequate  information.  To  work  in  the  dark 
is  to  work  bunglingly  and  ineffectively;  while  to 
work  in  the  light  of  a  clear  knowledge  of  the  facts 
and  conditions  of  life,  is  to  work  with  results 
limited  only  by  the  worker's  skill  and  energy. 

Many  of  the  prevalent  social  evils  are  due,  in  a 
large  measure,  to  the  ignorance  of  those  who  are 
directly  responsible  for  them.  Ibsen  says :  ' '  The 
devil  has  no  stauncher  ally  than  want  of  percep- 
tion." This  is  so  because  himian  beings  are  so 
deeply  engrossed  in  their  own  personal  affairs  that 
unless  the  bald  truths,  truths  having  power  to 
awaken  sympathy  and  to  stir  the  best  within 
them,  are  brought  directly  home  to  their  minds 
and  hearts,  they  will  see  only  that  which  will 
directly  affect  themselves. 

The  practice  of  hiding  the  gruesome  details 
of  poverty  from  the  eyes  of  the  world;  of  glossing 
over  the  degrading  conditions  of  tenement  life; 
of  minimising  the  injurious  effects  of  certain 
kinds  of  work  in  factories,  and  of  keeping  silent 
regarding  the  life-sapping  employment  of  young 
children,  has  delayed  and  retarded  the  annihilation 
of  these  conditions. 

Bring  captains  of  industry  face  to  face  with  the 
actual  conditions  created  by  their  industry,  and 


Social  Reconstruction  391 

the  mightiest  leverage  will  be  applied  to  their 
consciences.  Let  the  world  know  that  the  mil- 
lionaire mill-owner  is  making  his  money  out  of 
labour  which  is  stunting,  or  crippling,  or  deforming 
children ;  that  the  wealthy  tenement-house  owner 
is  giving  his  lavish  entertainments  out  of  money 
gained  by  housing  people  in  such  a  way  as  to 
turn  their  healthy  red  blood  into  a  sickly  grey; 
that  the  prominent  department-store  merchant  is 
making  his  fortune  through  the  employment  of 
girls  at  wages  so  far  below  the  amount  necessary 
to  provide  for  the  actual  needs  of  life  as  to  drive 
them  into  lives  of  shame,  and  reform  will  be  well 
on  the  road  to  accomplishment. 

People,  generally,  know  Httle  of  the  actual 
conditions  existing  in  the  city  in  which  they  live. 
The  average  rich  man  and  woman  know  but  little 
of  the  misery  which  exists  at  their  very  doors,  the 
only  poor  they  know  being  the  parasites  who  seek 
them  out;  as  a  rule,  they  are  not  aware  that  in 
every  large  city,  many  human  beings  are  shelter- 
less ;  that  many  would  gladly  partake  of  the  crtimbs 
which  fall  from  their  bountifully  laden  tables; 
that,  in  the  words  of  Prof.  Edward  T.  Devine, 
"There  are  more  kinds  of  misery  in  New  York 
than  Milton  ever  dreamed  of  in  his  blindness"*; 
and  that  many  who  die  from  a  lack  of  food,  shelter, 
or  clothing  have  been  entirely  guiltless  of  wrong- 
doing. 

*  Misery  and  its  Causes,  p.  12. 


392         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

It  is  difficult  for  people  who  possess  the  good 
things  of  the  world  and  to  whom  life  is  easy,  to 
appreciate  the  conditions  under  which  others  are 
compelled  to  struggle  for  the  barest  necessities  of 
life.  Class  judgments  are  necessarily  wrong;  for 
each  class  views  its  own  class  from  within,  and  all 
others  from  without.  To  view  life  from  a  distance 
is  not  seeing  life  as  it  really  is,  for,  as  the  poet 
says :  "  Distance  lends  enchantment  to  the  view.  ** 

Be  a  Frederick  LePlay  or  a  Charles  Booth  in  gath- 
ering information  regarding  the  social  facts,  and 
then  blazen  forth  such  facts,  and  a  great  impetus 
will  be  given  to  the  work  of  social  reconstruction. 

Having  learned  the  social  facts,  the  next  step  to 
he  taken  is  the  investigation  of  the  causes  which 
have  produced  them. 

Dr.  Stephen  S.  Wise  has  said : 

"In  the  days  of  hard  and  fast  distinction  between 
God's  poor  and  the  Devil's  poor,  poverty  was  regarded 
as  the  crime  or  misfortune  of  the  individual.  A 
truer  insight  into  the  essence  of  the  present-day 
order  enables  us  to  understand  that  poverty  is  not 
in  the  main  a  crime  of  the  individual;  nor  yet  pri- 
marily is  misfortune,  but  that  poverty  is  a  symptom 
of  social  disease,  or,  as  some  have  put  it,  one  of  the 
stigmata  of  social  crime.  More  and  more  we  are 
coming  to  see  that  poverty  is  social  in  origin,  social 
in  effect,  and  social  in  outreach."^ 

*  Sermon  before  the  National  Conference  of  Charities  and 
Corrections,  Jvine  14,  1909. 


Social  Reconstruction  393 

Social  investigators  have  discovered  that  in 
many  cases  of  habitual  drunkenness,  the  love  of 
drink  was  not  the  cause  of  the  individual's  down- 
fall, but  that  the  intoxicant  had  become  the  solace 
of  the  discouraged  unemployed,  or  the  stimulant 
of  the  man  made  weak  through  malnutrition  or 
by  his  unhealthful  environment.  The  world  is 
beginning  to  realise  that  when  a  man  is  willing  to 
work,  a  long-continued  lack  of  employment  will 
ultimately  lessen  his  desire  to  work,  will  weaken 
his  ambition,  will  dim  his  ideals,  and  finally  will 
bring  upon  him  that  deep-seated  discouragement 
which  leads  to  the  seeking  of  oblivion  in  the  wine 
cup.  It  is  also  beginning  to  learn  that  long  hours 
at  a  machine  which  produces  mental  exhaustion, 
supplemented  by  a  home  in  an  insanitary  tene- 
ment, with  insiifficient  and  unwholesome  nourish- 
ment, will  cause  the  red  corpuscles  of  the  man's 
blood  to  fade,  and  that  in  order  to  keep  up  his 
efficiency  as  a  worker,  a  desire  for  alcoholic 
stimulants  becomes  almost  irresistible. 

Mr.  Justice  V.  Liebig  has  wisely  declared: 

"  It  is  an  exception  to  the  rule  when  a  well-nourished 
man  becomes  addicted  to  whiskey.  But  when  a 
man  earns  less  than  is  required  for  the  quantities  of 
food  necessary  in  order  to  restore  his  labour  power, 
he  is  compelled  by  rigid  and  inexorable  necessity  to 
seek  refuge  in  whiskey."^ 

^  Quoted  from  Morris  Hillquit,  Socialism,  p.  312. 


394         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

The  history  of  the  inmates  of  prisons  and  re- 
formatories discloses  the  fact  that  in  many  in- 
stances crime  was  the  outcome  of  the  dire  needs 
of  men  and  women  who  were  wiUing  to  work,  but 
who  could  secure  no  employment,  or  was  the 
result  of  dissipation  entered  upon  when  their 
bodies  had  become  weakened  through  unwhole- 
some nourishment,  unattractive  environment,  and 
long  hours  of  daily  grinding,  nerve-wrecking  toil, 
until  the  dead  level  of  their  existence  cried  out  for 
life,  for  change,  for  stimulation.  Theodore  Roose- 
velt spoke  truly  when  he  said : 

"Every  wretched  tenement  that  a  city  allows  to 
exist  revenges  itself  on  the  city  by  being  a  hotbed  of 
disease  and  pauperism.  It  tends  steadily  to  lower 
the  tone  of  our  city  life  and  of  our  social  life.  The 
present  movement  for  better  tenement  houses  is  an 
effort  to  cut  at  the  root  of  the  diseases  which  eat  at 
the  body  social  and  the  body  politic."^ 

Other  causes  of  human  downfall  are  the  saloon, 
the  theatre,  and  the  dance-hall  which  cater  to  the 
baser  animal  instincts  and  which  are  often  the 
only  places  of  recreation  in  the  neighbourhood 
where  the  tired,  weary,  low-spirited  young  toiler 
can  find  vent  for  his  natural  craving  for 
amusement. 

Trace  the  cause  of  the  drunkenness,  prostitu- 
tion, or  crime  to  its  source,  and  you  will  find  that 

*  Charities,  February  ii,  1909,  p.  7. 


Social  Reconstruction  395 

in  many  cases  the  man  or  the  woman  was  the 
victim  of  bad  social  environment  or  economic 
maladjustment,  rather  than  the  deliberate  seeker 
after  a  life  of  drunkenness,  shame,  or  crime. 
Dr.  Carroll  D.  Wright  has  well  said : 

"The  secondary,  and  often  the  primary,  causes 
and  encouragements  of  intemperance  are  bad  air  and 
unwholesome  food,  which  create  a  craving  for  drink; 
bad  company,  which  tempts  it;  undue  facilities, 
which  conduce  to  it ;  squalid  homes,  which  drive  men 
forth  for  cheerfulness;  and  the  want  of  other  com- 
fortable places  of  resort,  which  leave  no  refuge  but 
the  publican's  parlour  or  den.  And  if,  on  the  other 
hand,  we  find  that  the  consequences  are  poverty, 
squalid  homes,  brutality,  crime,  and  the  transmission 
and  perpetuation  of  vitiated  constitutions,  who  can 
say  they  cannot  be  prevented  by  the  sotind  adminis- 
tration of  sanitary  laws,  which  shall  prohibit  the 
existence  of  bad  air,  of  unventUated  dwellings,  the 
undue  multiplication  and  constant  accessibility  of 
gin  and  beer  shops,  and  the  poisoning  of  wholesome 
food  and  drink?  "^ 

An  effort  should  be  made  to  draw  a  sharp  line 
of  distinction  between  the  causes  of  poverty  for 
which  the  individual  is  responsible  and  those  for 
which  he  is  not.  Often  it  will  be  impossible  to 
draw  such  a  distinction  for  the  reason  that  there 
are  a  great  variety  of  circimistances  which  produce 
the  evil  result  and  whose  soiirces  are  hidden  in 

'  Some  Ethical  Phases  of  the  Labour  Question,  p.  55. 


39^         Christ* s  Social  Remedies 

almost  impenetrable  obscurity.  However  difficult 
it  may  be  in  particular  cases  to  press  back  to  the 
original  cause,  no  pains  should  be  spared  to 
reach  this  end. 

Before  pointing  the  finger  of  scorn  at  the  man 
or  the  woman  who  has  strayed  from  the  paths  of 
righteousness,  we  should  find  out  who  is  respon- 
sible for  the  failure  of  that  life,  and  if  we  learn 
that  it  was  due  to  the  starvation  wages  paid  in  the 
department  store  or  the  factory ;  or  to  the  inability 
of  the  individual  to  obtain  work  after  honestly 
seeking  for  it ;  or  to  the  dark,  ill- ventilated,  over- 
crowded, and  insanitary  condition  of  the  tenement 
in  which  the  unfortunate  was  housed;  or  to  the 
kind  of  amusement  the  citizens  permitted  to  be 
furnished,  then  it  is  our  duty  to  bring  these  facts 
to  the  attention  of  the  world,  so  that  the  world 
may  know  the  evil  influence  some  of  its  people 
are  bringing  to  bear  to  undermine  social  purity 
and  to  destroy  human  life. 

The  social  facts  being  known,  and  the  causes  for 
the  poverty,  misery,  and  wretchedness  of  the  many 
unfortunates  and  for  the  downfall  of  the  drunkard 
and  the  criminal  having  been  traced  to  their  sources, 
the  third  step  to  be  taken  is  the  removal  of  the  causes 
which  are  wrecking  human  lives. 

Right  and  proper,  just  and  Christian,  are  the 
efforts  which  are  being  put  forth  by  organisations 
and  individuals  to  alleviate  the  sufferings,  to 
lighten  the  burdens,  and  to  care  for  those  who  have 


Social  Reconstruction  397 

been  broken  and  bniised  in  life's  struggle.  By  all 
means,  place  ambulances  at  the  foot  of  every  cliff 
to  take  care  of  stricken  htmianity,  but  afore  all 
other  work,  construct  fences  around  all  precipices 
so  as  to  prevent  men  and  women  from  falling. 
Palliative  philanthropy  is  good,  but  preventative 
philanthropy  is  far  better. 

The  day  of  the  dole  is  past.  Dollars  do  not 
reach  the  heart  of  the  social  problem.  Construc- 
tive and  curative  measures  are  demanded.  Many 
of  the  city's  ills  can  be  permanently  cured,  and 
the  business  of  Christians  is  to  remove  the  causes 
which  produce  the  social  diseases. 

If  insanitary  tenements  are  productive  of  weak- 
ness, drunkenness,  and  crime,  tenement  laws  should 
be  enacted  and  enforced  to  make  the  tenements 
sanitary;  if  children  are  employed  at  work  which 
will  stunt  their  growth  and  retard  their  mental 
development,  then  laws  should  be  enacted  and 
enforced  preventing  children  from  being  employed 
at  such  kinds  of  labour;  if  factories  or  mills  are 
grinding  out  the  lives  of  their  employees  by  long 
hours  or  by  unwholesome  conditions,  then  fac- 
tory laws  to  remedy  such  conditions  should  be 
enacted  and  enforced;  if  the  wages  paid  by  em- 
ployers are  insufficient  for  the  support  of  a  human 
life  in  a  respectable  manner,  then  such  facts  should 
be  placed  before  the  public  and  the  parties  respon- 
sible should  be  made  to  feel  the  enormity  of  their 
acts;  if  within  the  city  there  exist  dance-halls, 


398  Christ's  Social  Remedies 

saloons,  theatres,  or  other  places  of  amusement 
which  are  debasing  men  and  women,  then  the  city 
officials  should  be  compelled  to  close  them. 

It  is  well  to  bear  in  mind  that  laws  will  not  be 
enacted  nor  will  they  be  enforced  except  upon 
the  people's  demand.  If  Christians,  in  addition  to 
their  charitable  and  philanthropic  labour  would 
devote  some  of  their  time  to  demanding  the  en- 
forcement of  all  laws  which  to-day  exist  upon  the 
statute  books,  they  would  soon  find  less  need  for 
the  application  of  remedial  measures,  for,  having 
thus  removed  some  of  the  causes,  there  would  be 
fewer  evil  effects  with  which  to  deal. 

The  only  real  remedy  for  the  present-day  social 
ills  lies  in  the  hands  of  society  as  it  now  exists. 
If  these  evils  are  allowed  to  continue  in  their  work 
of  corrupting  and  destroying  life,  it  is  because 
Christians  are  indifferent  to  their  duties,  and  not 
because  the  forms  and  institutions  of  society, 
through  which  they  act,  are  inadequate. 

Unless  public  opinion  demands  a  change,  noth- 
ing will  be  changed.  Present  conditions  reflect  the 
qualities  of  human  nature,  and  in  order  to  change 
conditions  the  ethical  standards  of  the  people 
must  be  changed.  The  source  of  the  change  is  to 
be  found  in  human  beings,  and  not  in  the  institu- 
tions which  have  issued  out  of  human  qualities 
and  activities. 

WHAT  KIND  OF  FENCES  SHOULD  BE  BUILT? 

It  is  often  said  in  these  days  that  the  church  is 


Social  Reconstruction  399 

doing  nothing  to  eradicate  the  social  evils,  and 
that  church-membership  fails  to  include  many 
who  are  seeking  the  social  welfare  of  the  people 
through  non-religious  organisations.  There  has 
been  some  ground  for  these  complaints,  for  the 
mission  of  the  church  in  the  days  of  the  past  was 
centred  upon  the  teaching  that  by  prayer  and 
fasting  and  church  attendance  men  might  get 
themselves  into  heaven  when  this  life  is  over; 
and  secondary  in  her  teachings  was  placed  the 
Christian  doctrine,  that  the  life  hereafter  depends 
upon  the  life  here  and  now,  and  that  it  is  only  by 
giving  the  earthly  life  to  the  service  of  others 
that  the  future  heavenly  life  may  be  obtained. 
Stress  was  laid  only  on  the  first  of  the  command- 
ments, "Love  to  God,"  whereas  it  should  have 
been  laid  with  equal  force  upon  the  second,  "Love 
to  man,"  for  no  man  who  does  not  love  his 
brother,  can  love  God ;  and  no  man  can  love  his 
brother  without  loving  his  Father. 

To-day,  the  chiirch  is  concerned  not  so  much 
with  keeping  men  out  of  hell  as  it  is  with  keeping 
hell  out  of  them;  not  so  much  with  getting  men 
into  heaven  by  and  by  as  with  getting  heaven 
into  them  here  and  now;  and  is  teaching  the  im- 
portant truth,  that  it  is  only  through  love  and 
service  to  man  that  love  to  God  can  be  expressed. 

By  the  sea  of  Tiberius  Christ  three  times  asked 
Peter  if  he  loved  Him,  and  each  time  in  response 
Peter  vehemently  asserted  his  love.     Christ  then 


400         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

bade  him  show  it,  not  by  fasting,  nor  by  self- 
torture,  nor  by  prayers,  nor  by  church  attendance, 
nor  by  withdrawal  from  the  world,  nor  by  silent 
meditation  on  the  teachings  of  the  Bible,  but  by 
service  to  his  fellow-men.  "Feed  my  lambs," 
"feed  my  lambs,"  "feed  my  sheep,"  were  the 
three  injunctions  given  by  Christ. 

This  teaching  has  been  taken  to  heart  by  the 
Church  of  the  present  day  and,  as  a  result,  the 
church  has  become  "not  so  much  an  association 
of  saints  as  an  association  of  saviours,  not  so 
much  a  witness  of  redemption  as  an  instrument 
of  redemption,  not  so  much  an  ark  of  refuge  as 
a  missionary  ship."* 

Charity  apart  from  religion  is  of  but  slight 
avail,  for  without  religion  charity  is  but  the  out- 
come of  a  passing  mood,  a  tender  impulse,  or  an 
act  of  vanity.  Charity  is  applied  religion.  Charity 
is  the  fruit  grown  on  the  tree  of  religion, — it  is 
the  result  of  a  religious  life. 

A  religion  not  expressed  in  charitable  acts  is  a 
religion  not  worthy  of  the  name.  "By  their 
fruits  ye  shall  know  them." 

Love  is  the  greatest  force  in  the  world ;  it  is  the 
only  solvent  which  can  melt  the  stony  heart;  it 
is  the  only  power  which  can  transform  a  himian 
life. 

Every  wrong  we  commit  is  owing  to  our  lack 
of  Christian  love;  for  if  we  loved  our  neighbour  as 

«  The  Approach  to  the  Social  Question,  by  F.  G.  Peabody,  p.  98. 


Social  Reconstruction  401 

Christ  loved  us,  it  would  be  impossible  for  us  to 
do  him  a  wrong. 

Poverty  and  love  cannot  abide  together,  for 
where  love  is,  poverty  ceases  to  exist.  Injustice 
and  love  are  strangers;  starvation  wages  and  love 
are  incompatible;  insanitary  tenements  and  love 
have  no  affinity.  Love  will  remove  all  that  hinders 
or  hampers  mankind;  it  will  not  only  raise  the 
fallen  but,  by  filling  up  all  holes  and  fencing  all 
precipices,  will  prevent  the  brother  or  sister  from 
falling.  Love  will  make  the  desert  to  blossom 
like  the  rose,  and  human  life  to  be  as  free  as  that 
of  the  birds  of  the  air. 

Love  for  mankind  should  not  be  postponed  until 
fortimes  are  made,  or  power  or  place  obtained. 
A  captain  of  industry  who  starves  and  maims 
and  crushes  htmianity  in  his  industrial  war  cannot 
find  redemption  by  providing  ambulances  and 
hospitals  to  take  care  of  the  wrecks  of  humanity 
lying  stricken  on  the  fields  of  industrial  battle. 

Christ  said:  "Is  not  the  life  more  than  meat, 
and  the  body  than  raiment?" 

The  placing  of  human  life  above  material  things 
is  the  need  of  the  day.  The  world  has  yet  to 
learn  to  value  hiunan  life  above  those  things 
"which  moth  and  rust  doth  corrupt"  and  which 
pass  from  one's  possession  when  death  comes. 
Pastor  Stocker  of  Berlin,  in  a  speech  on  child 
and  female  labour,  in  the  German  Reichstag, 
said: 


402         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

"We  have  stated  the  question  the  wrong  way. 
We  have  asked,  how  much  child  and  female  labour 
does  industry  need  in  order  to  flourish,  to  pay  divi- 
dends, and  to  sell  goods  abroad?  Whereas,  we  ought 
to  have  asked,  how  ought  industry  to  be  organised 
in  order  to  protect  and  foster  the  family,  the  human 
individual,  and  the  Christian  life?" 

Christ's  standard  of  value  should  enter  into  every 
business  and  professional  act  and  be  the  deter- 
mining factor  in  every  decision. 

Until  love  for  mankind,  the  placing  of  the 
highest  value  upon  men  and  women,  takes  posses- 
sion of  the  Christian,  the  coining  of  human  life 
into  money  through  the  sweat-shops,  the  insani- 
tary basement  conditions  of  the  department 
stores,  the  long  hours  of  dreary  toil  in  the  factories, 
the  employment  of  children  for  long  hours  at  hard 
labour,  and  the  home  life  in  unwholesome  tene- 
ments will  continue  to  exist  in  our  industrial  and 
commercial  life,  blighting  and  destroying  human 
beings,  children  of  the  most  high  God. 

Christ  did  not  despise  the  physical  body,  but,  on 
the  contrary,  taught  that  it  was  the  Father's  most 
prized  handiwork.  "The  very  hairs  of  your  head 
are  all  numbered,"  He  said.  He  recognised  the 
needs  of  the  body  when  He  taught  men  to  pray, 
"Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread, "  and  when  He 
admonished  the  twelve  disciples  on  sending  them 
out  into  the  world:  "Heal  the  sick,  cleanse  the 
lepers,  raise  the  dead,  cast  out  devils." 


Social  Reconstruction  403 

Though  He  directed  the  alleviation  of  physical 
suffering  and  disease,  He  placed  His  main  em- 
phasis on  the  command  of  brotherliness  and 
neighbourliness,  the  evidence  of  which  would  be  in 
the  removing  of  all  causes  which  produce  misery 
and  suffering  to  htmianity. 

Christ  did  not  carry  the  leper's  bed,  but  gave 
the  man  strength  to  carry  his  own  bed.  To  help 
one  to  help  himself  was  Christ's  way  of  serving 
mankind. 

"Whatsoever  ye  would  that  men  should  do  to 
you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them,"  commanded  Christ. 

Spectral  Christians,  mere  church-going  men, 
are  not  treating  their  employees  as  they  would 
wish  to  be  treated  were  their  places  reversed,  and 
are  using  their  property  solely  for  the  monetary 
returns  they  derive  therefrom.  The  thought  of 
stewardship  never  enters  their  mind;  the  Golden 
Kvle  never  governs  their  business  dealings. 

Society  will  never  be  regenerated  and  recon- 
structed tmtil  the  teachings  of  Christ  have  been 
intelligently  applied  to  the  social,  economic,  indus- 
trial, and  political  Hfe.  To  enthrone  justice  in 
place  of  "every  man  for  himself, "  love  in  place  of 
indifference,  and  human  life  in  place  of  the  golden 
coin,  are  the  duties  resting  on  every  child  of  God. 

Society  will  never  be  regenerated  and  recon- 
structed until  the  individuals  who  compose  it  have 
been  regenerated  and  reconstructed.  Many  social 
ills  can  be  mitigated  through  legislation,  public 


404         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

opinion,  and  social  ostracism,  but  society  as  a 
whole  can  never  be  purified,  ennobled,  or  uplifted, 
until  the  individuals  who  make  up  its  membership 
live  according  to  the  example  and  teachings  of 
Christ. 

The  Socialists*  plan  to  permanently  change  the 
individual  by  changing  his  environment,  to  apply 
change  from  without  instead  of  educing  it  from 
within,  may  be  likened  to  the  action  of  the  garde- 
ner in  Alice  in  Wonderland  who  painted  the  white 
rose  red.  Temporary  change  may  be  effected 
by  such  a  method,  but  the  white  rose  will  still  be 
white  despite  its  veneer  of  red. 

The  fact  should  be  kept  clearly  in  mind  that  one 
can  no  more  escape  influencing  the  opinions  of 
those  whom  one  meets  in  daily  life,  nor  assisting 
in  the  formation  of  public  opinion — the  most 
powerful  reformative  agency  in  American  life — 
by  burying  one's  head  in  the  sands  of  selfishness, 
or  by  fleeing  into  the  towers  of  one's  self-interest 
and  raising  high  the  drawbridge,  than  one  can 
go  through  this  world  without  his  body  casting  a 
shadow. 

Personal  influence  is  a  silent,  pervading,  mag- 
netic thing.  It  works  in  inexplicable  ways.  We 
neither  see  nor  hear  it,  yet,  consciously  or  uncon- 
sciously, we  exert  it.  No  one  can  think  or  speak 
or  act — in  fact,  no  one  can  live,  without  having 
an  effect  on  the  lives  of  others. 

The  average  Christian  sits  back  in  his  cushioned 


Social  Reconstruction  405 

pew  on  Sunday  and  listens  complacently  and 
forgetfully  to  the  discoiu-se  of  the  preacher,  and 
spends  his  week-days  amid  the  engrossing  affairs 
of  business  and  his  evenings  with  his  family, 
taking  but  Httle  notice  of  what  goes  on  about  him. 
When  some  reformer  or  crusader  brings  to  his 
notice  the  evil  conditions  which  exist  almost  at  his 
very  door,  he  is  so  horrified  that  he  gften  gives 
his  check  to  alleviate  such  sorrow  or  trouble  and 
then  settles  back  into  his  comfortable  mode  of 
living,  and  lends  no  helping  hand  to  uproot  the 
abuses  which  are  the  source  of  hiunan  misery  and 
degradation. 

It  seldom  occurs  to  the  giver  that  "man  does 
not  live  by  bread  alone,"  and  that  though  bread 
is  vitally  important  to  the  hungry,  yet  giving  of 
"bread  alone"  does  not  fulfil  the  Christian 
obhgation.  The  unfortunate  often  needs  the 
touch  of  a  kindly  hand,  a  gentle  look,  and  the 
sound  of  a  friendly  voice  in  order  that  he  may 
gain  new  courage,  new  hope,  and  a  fresh  deter- 
mination to  Hve  a  better  life. 

Christ  always  began  with  the  individual  and 
sought  first  to  bring  him  into  filial  relations  with 
God,  and  second  to  impress  upon  him  the  fact 
that  he  stands  in  vital  and  unescapable  relation- 
ship with  the  race,  and  set  him  the  example  of 
expressing  love  to  mankind,  by  going  about  heal- 
ing the  sick,  casting  out  devils,  implanting  high 
ideals,  and  teaching  men  and  women  how  to  Hve 


4o6         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

the  fullest  and  most  complete  life  here  on  earth. 

Christ  began  the  reformation  of  society  by 
reforming  individuals,  for  character  determines 
the  way  in  which  men  approach  the  problems  of 
society,  and  in  the  end  determines  the  solution 
which  they  receive. 

Each  city  constitutes  a  single  social  body, 
which,  in  some  respects,  is  similar  to  a  human 
body. 

In  order  to  have  a  healthy  physical  body,  every 
part  must  be  in  a  healthy  condition;  if  one  part 
is  diseased,  the  rest  of  the  body  suffers :  and  if  no 
curative  remedies  are  applied  to  the  diseased 
portion,  the  inevitable  result  is  that  the  disease 
will  spread  through  the  whole  body,  finally  causing 
death. 

Comte  has  said  that 

"the  state  of  every  part  of  the  social  whole  at  any 
time  is  intimately  connected  with  the  contemporane- 
ous state  of  all  others  ...  all  are  in  close  mutual 
dependence  on  one  another,  insomuch  that,  when 
any  considerable  change  takes  place  in  one,  we  may 
know  that  a  parallel  change  in  all  the  others  has 
preceded  or  will  follow  it." 

If  the  social  body  of  a  city  is  to  be  healthy,  no 
part  of  it  can  be  diseased.  Unfortunately,  all 
municipal  social  bodies  in  America  are  suffering 
from  many  diseases  at  the  present  time.  There 
are  many  festering  spots  needing  attention;  there 


Social  Reconstruction  407 

are  many  forces  at  work  destroying  life-giving 
powers. 

Not  only  do  these  diseased  conditions  exist 
within  the  social  body,  but  germs  of  devastating 
diseases  are  being  introduced  into  it  from  other 
social  bodies.  Care  must  be  exercised  not  only  to 
destroy  the  evil  powers  within,  but  also  to  prevent 
the  contraction  of  the  diseases  which  exist  in  other 
social  bodies  throughout  the  world. 

If  the  social  body  of  a  city  is  strong  and  healthy, 
it  will  not  bring  contagion  to  other  social  bodies 
with  which  it  comes  in  contact;  but  if  it  be  dis- 
eased, it  will  spread  contagion  everywhere. 

The  large  social  body  of  America  will  live  just  so 
long  as  it  prevents  disease  from  sapping  its  vitals 
and  corrupting  its  life.  Babylon,  Greece,  and 
Rome  decayed  and  perished  because  their  diseased 
parts  were  ignored,  and  no  attempt  was  made  to 
ptuify  or  cure  them.  The  large  cities  are  the 
diseased  spots  on  the  American  social  body,  and 
unless  every  healthful  American  becomes  a  social 
physician  and  surgeon  and  dedicates  his  life  to 
the  eradication  of  social  diseases,  America  will 
eventually  sicken  and  die  as  did  those  powerful 
nations  of  old. 

Gilbert  K.  Chesterton  defines  the  way  in  which 
a  city  can  be  reformed  in  these  words : 

"It  is  not  enough  for  a  man  to  disapprove  of 
Pimlico:  in  that  case  he  will  merely  cut  his  throat 


4o8         Christ's  Social  Remedies 

or  move  to  Chelsea.  Nor,  certainly,  is  it  enough 
for  a  man  to  approve  of  Pimlico:  for  then  it  will 
remain  Pimlico,  which  would  be  awful.  The  only 
way  out  of  it  seems  for  somebody  to  love  Pimlico: 
to  love  it  with  a  transcendental  tie  and  without  any 
earthly  reason.  If  there  arose  a  man  who  loved 
Pimlico,  then  Pimlico  would  rise  into  ivory  towers 
and  golden  pinnacles;  Pimlico  would  attire  herself 
as  a  woman  does  when  she  is  loved.  For  decoration 
is  not  given  to  hide  horrible  things,  but  to  decorate 
things  already  adorable.  A  mother  does  not  give 
her  child  a  blue  bow  because  he  is  so  ugly  without  it. 
A  lover  does  not  give  a  girl  a  necklace  to  hide  her 
neck.  If  men  loved  Pimlico  as  mothers  love  children, 
arbitrarily,  because  it  is  theirs,  Pimlico  in  a  year  or 
two  might  be  fairer  than  Florence.  Some  readers 
will  say  that  this  is  a  mere  fantasy.  I  answer  that 
this  is  the  natural  history  of  mankind.  This,  as  a 
fact,  is  how  cities  did  grow  great.  Go  back  to  the 
darkest  roots  of  civilisation  and  you  will  find  them 
knotted  round  some  sacred  stone  or  encircling  some 
sacred  wall.  People  first  paid  honour  to  a  spot  and 
afterwards  gained  glory  for  it.  Men  did  not  love 
Rome  because  she  was  great.  She  was  great  because 
they  loved  her."'' 

A  man  who  enters  politics  for  money  and  private 
gain,  is  no  worse  than  the  man  who  remains  out 
of  politics  for  the  money  and  private  gain  to  be 
made  in  business.  He  who  fails  to  work  for  his 
city's  welfare  is  on  a  par  with  the  man  who  uses 

»  Orthodoxy,  pp.  122,  123. 


Social  Reconstruction  409 

his  city  for  his  personal  enrichment,  for  it  is  the 
neglect  of  good  men  to  fulfil  their  duties  as 
citizens  which  makes  possible  the  manipulation 
and  corruption  of  poHtics  for  private  gain. 

If  every  man  and  woman  bearing  the  name  of 
Christian  will  become  a  Christian  in  fact,  and  will 
endeavour,  by  patient  investigation  and  honest 
study,  to  find  out  the  facts  concerning  the  social 
evils  existing  to-day,  and  will  throw  upon  them 
the  clear  light  of  pubHcity  and  blazon  them  abroad, 
condemning  them  with  the  whole  power  of  being, 
and  will  exempHfy  by  their  lives  the  teachings  of 
Christ,  and  finally,  whenever  a  leader  raises  the 
banner  of  reform  and  seeks  to  enlist  recruits  to 
destroy  some  evil  stronghold,  will  cheerfully  and 
energetically  lend  a  helping  hand,  American 
industrial  and  political  life  will  begin  to  be  re- 
formed, regenerated,  and  reconstructed,  and  the 
social  life  of  the  American  people  will  ultimately 
be  re-created  so  that  justice,  mercy,  and  peace 
will  be  the  heritage  of  every  citizen, — and  the 
"Kingdom  of  God"  will  be  realised  here  on  earth. 


INDEX 


Acts, 

i.,  3— Ii8 
ii.,  42-47—249 
IV.,  32-35-^249 
v.,  4—250 
ix.,  1-22 — 146 
Adam  and  Eve,  see  Marriage, 

origin  of 
Adams  vs.  Palmer,  162 
Addams,  Jane,   on    War  and 

manhood,  360,  361 
Adler,  F.,  on  Marriage,  165, 

166 
Am.  Society  of  Sanitary  and 
Moral  Prophylaxis,  see  Mar- 
riage 
Anarchy,  18-28 

Christ  on,  see  Christ 
Definition,  19 
Government,  see  Govern- 
ment 

Bakunin,  M.,  21 
Diderot,  19 
Federation  of  Jura,  22 
Huxley,  Prof.,  23 
Int.  Alliance,  21,  22 
Kropatkin,  P.,  22,  23 
La  Boetie,  19 
La  Fontaine,  19 
Mtlnzer,  19 
Proudhon,  P.  J.,  21 
Rabelais,  19 
Salter,  W.  H.,  23 
Stirner,  M.,  19,  20 
Anderson,  M.  B.,  on 
Christianity,  14 
Wealth,  use  of,  266, 267 


Arabia,  Mohammedanism    in, 
10 

Arbitration,  duty  of 

International,  see  Interna- 
tional controversies 
Labour,  see  Labour 
Personal  disputes,  156 

Asarias,  Brother,  on  Religious 
education,  230 

Avebury,  Lord,  on 
Christians,  348 
Unity  of  nations,  357 

Aveling,  E., 

Socialist  leader,  35 
Socialism  vs.  Christianity, 

107,  108 

B 

Babeui,  on  Socialism,  34 
Bakunin,  M.,  on  Anarchy,  21 
Baldwin,    Prof.,     on     Public 

opinion,  4 
Baudrillat,  M«   00  Luxuries, 

272 
Bax,  B.,  — 

God,  belief  in,  71 
Immortality,  83 
Marriage,  55,  56 
Materialism,  41 
Religion,  permanency  of, 

88 
Socialism  vs.  Christianity, 

108,  109 
Socialist  leader,  35 
Society,  uplifting,  66 
Violence,  use  of,  103,  104 
World,  other,  83,  84 


411 


412 


Index 


Bebel,  A., 

Churches,  war  on,  iii 
God,  belief  in,  76,  77 
God,  obedience  to,  79 
Man,  redemption  of,  86 
Marriage,  on,  52,  53 
Religion,  permanency  of, 

91   .  .         . 

Socialism  vs.  Christianity, 

112 

Socialist  leader,  35 

State  to  be  abolished,  96 

Violence,  use  of,  99,  100 
Beccaria  on  Crime,  210 
Black,  H.,  on  Work,  310 
Blackstone,  W.,  on  Marriage, 

161 
Blanc,  L.,  on  Socialism,  34 
Boise,  H.  M., 

Crime,  treatment  of,  210 

Heredity,  244 

Religious  education,  229, 
230 
Bolce,   H.,   on  Marriage  and 

divorce,  185,  186 
Booth,  Mrs.  M.  B., 

Ex-convict,  237-239 

Prisoners,  204,  205 
Brahma,    effect   of,  in   India, 

10 
Bright,  J., 

Peace,  379 

War,  361 
Brinkerhoff,  Gen.  R., 

Prisoners,  205,  206 

State    use    system,    226, 
227 
Brotherhood,  see  Christ 
Brown,    H.   B.,  on   Marriage 

license,  174 
Browning,  R.,  marriage  of,  176 
Bryce,  James, 

National  honour,  372 

Public  opinion,  2 
Buddha,  effect  of,  in  India,  10 
Buonarotti,  on   Socialism,   33, 

Butler,  N.  M.,  on   Inter-par- 
liamentary union,  366,  367 


Campbell-Bannerman,  H., 
Arbitration,  364,  365 
War  folly,  359 
Campbell,  R.  J.,  Christ  a  So- 
cialist, 31 
Capital  punishment,  see  Crim- 
inal 
Carlyle,  T., 

Education,  224 
Political  economy,  302 
Work,  313 
Carnegie,  A.,  on  Wealth,  use 

of,  280-282 
Carpenter,   C,  on   Marriage, 

56,  57 
Catholic  Church,  see  Roman 
Channing,  Dr.,  on  War,  347 
Charity,  398-401 
Lecky  on,  12 
Chesterton,   G.   K.,   on   City 

upbuilding,  407,  408 
Chicago   Platform,   see    Plat- 
form 
Children,  employment  of,  see 

Labour 
China,  condition  of,  10 
Christ, 

an  Anarchist,  24-28 

Hyndman,  H.  M.,  25 
Rehan,  E.,  24,  25 
Tolstoi,  Count,  25 
Effect  of  teachings,  11 -15 
Anderson,  Pres.,  14 
Hillis,  N.  D.,  14,  15 
Lowell,  J.  R.,  12,  13 
Webster,  D.,  13,  14 
Jenks,  Prof.  J.,  on,  11 
Martineau,  J.,  on,  11 
Mission  of,   11,   118,   119, 

139.  345 
a  Socialist,  see  Socialism 
Teachings  on. 

Brotherhood,  11,  12, 

121,  122,  345 
Capital    punishment, 

235 
Childlikeness,  122 


Index 


413 


Christ  (Continued) 

Classes  of  mankind,  39 
Courts,  see  Non-resis- 
tance 
Crime,  see  Criminal 
Criminal,   see    Crim- 
inal 
Evil,     resisting,     see 

Non-resistance 
FaitMulness,  257, 258 
Fatherhood  of   God, 

121 

Forgiveness,  156 
God,  belief  in,  69-71 
Obedience  to,  79, 
80 
Government,    25-28, 

93-95 

Oppression  of,  see 

Non-resistance 

Reformation   of, 

150,  151 
Heredity,  243,  244 
Immortality,  83,  84 
Judgment,  last,   131, 

132 
Juveniles,  212-214 
Kingdom  of  God,  see 

Kingdom  of  God 
Law,    obedience    to, 

see    Non-resistance 
Love,     12,     129-135, 

139.  151.  345.  399- 

401 
Man, 

Development,  65 
Redemption,  86 
Value  of,  401 
Marriage,  see  Social- 
ism, and  Marriage 
Materialism,  41-45 
Men   of   wealth,   see 

Wealth 
Nature,        human, 

change  of,  64 
Non-resistance,      see 

Non-resistance 
Ostracism,  social,  295, 

296 


Physical  violence,  see 

Non-resistance 
Power  of,  150 
Property,    ownership 

of,  see  Wealth 
Religion,  permanency 

of,  86,  87 
Reputation,  injury  to, 

see  Non-resistance 
Sacrifice,  265 
Service,  122, 123, 129, 

130.  151 
Simple  life,  265 
Social  ostracism,  295, 

296 
Society,  changing,  68 
Soul,  see  Immortality 
Value    of,    264, 
265 
Spiritual  aim,  41-44 
Sta.te,see  Government 
Talents,  use  of,  256, 

257.  259 
Violence,  98 
War,  346,  348,  374, 

375 
Wealth,  see  Wealth 
Wealthy      men,     see 

Wealth 
Will,  freedom  of,  63 
Work,  304-306,  309, 

310,  312 
Worid,  other,  82,  85 
Christianity,  see  Christ 
Christianity  vs.  Socialism,  see 

Socialism 
Churches,  abolished,  no,  in 
on  Divorce,  197 
on  Peace,  378, 379 
on  War,    in,    112,   378, 

379 

on  Wealth,  296 
Citizens,  U.  S., 

Admission  of,  124-129 

Duty  of,  17,  124-130 

Limitations  of,  l 

Oath  of,  128 

Power  of,  1,2 
Citizens'  Industrial  Assn.,  321 


414 


Index 


Cleave,  167 

Clement  XI,  education  of 

criminals,  233 
Clement    of    Alexandria,    use 

of  wealth,  266 
Colleges,  on  Marriage  and  di- 
vorce, 184-186,  196 
on  Wealth,  296 
Collins,  C.  v.,  on  Prison  build- 
ings, 219 
Communist  manifesto, 
on  Marriage,  61 
on  Property,  private,  47 
State  to  be  abolished,  94, 

95. 
Community    of    goods,    see 

Wealth,  private 
Comte,  on  Unity  of  society,  406 
Confucius,  effect  of,  in  China, 

10 
Constitution, 
State, 

to  Abolish,  2 
to  Change,  2 
United  States, 
to  Abolish,  I 
Change  of,  i 
Definition  of,  I 
Formation  of,  i 
Convert  of  Moody,  141 
Cooley,  C.  H., 

Corporations,  289 
Nation,  345 
Use  of  wealth,  267 
Cor.  2,  viii.,  9,  13,  14,  249 
Corporations, 

Business  of,  288 
By-law  of,  293 

Sermon    on    Mount, 

293 
Definition  of,  288,  289 

Cooley  on,  289 
Development  of,  287,  288, 

319.  320 
Directors  of,  289,  292 
Ross,  E.  A.,  on,  291, 
292 
Employees  of,   289,  290, 
292,  293 


Number  of,  320,  321 

Moody  on,  320,  321 
Officers  of,  289-292 

Ross,  E.  A.,  on,  291, 
292 
Reform  of,  294-297 

Ostracism ,     social, 
294-296 

Christ  on,  295, 
296 
Publicity,  294 
Public  opinion,  294 
Teaching  in. 

Churches,  296 
Colleges,  296 
Schools,  296 
Stockholders,  289-292 
Liddon,  Dr.,  on,  292 
Ross,  E.  A.,  on,  291, 
292 
Coudert,  F.  R.,  on  National 

honour,  373,  374 
Courage,  Wright,  R.,  on,  145 
Courts, 

Abolishment  of,  148-150 
Christ  on,  149, 150 
Industrial,  see  Labour 
International,  see  Interna- 
tional arbitration 
Tolstoi  on,  148,  149 
Use  of,  156 
Coward,  see  Courage 
Criminal 

Capital  punishment,  235 

Christ  on,  235 
Crime,  199-244 

Christ   on,    199-204, 

226 
Disease,  a,  231,  232 
Ex-convict,  236-243 

Booth,  Mrs.   M.  B., 

on, 237-239 
Christ  on,  236 
Heney  F.  J.,  on,  240, 

241 
Potter,  Bishop  H.  C, 

on, 237 
Trusting,  242,  243 
Christ  on,  242 


Index 


415 


Criminal  {Continued) 

Leonard,   J.    A., 

on,  242,  243 
Nelson,  Lord,  on, 
242 
Heredity,  243,  244 

Boise,  H.  M.,  on,  244 
Christ  on,  243,  244 
Indeterminate    sentences, 
230-233 

Christ  on,  230 
Lydston,  Dr.  G.  F., 

on, 232 
Maconochle  on,  233 
Individual  attitude,    208, 

209 
Judgment,  and,  207 
Christ  on,  207 
Tolstoi,  L.,  on,  207, 
208 
Juvenile  Court,  see  Juven- 
ile Court 
Parole  Board,  see  Parole 

Board 
Prison,  see  Prison 
Prisoners, 

Booth,  Mrs.  M.  B., 

on, 204,  205 
Brinkerhoflf,  Gen.  R., 

on,  205,  206 
Christ  on,  199 
Probation,  see  Probation 
Punishment,  209-211 
Beccaria  on,  210 
Boise,    H.    M.,     on, 

210 
Capital,  235 
Masten,   V.   M.,  on, 

210,  211 
Society  and,  206 
Criminaloid,  see  Ross,  E.  A. 
Crosby,  E.  H., 

on  Tolstoi,  142-145 
on  War,  347,  348 

D 

Darwin,  C,  on  Idleness,  307 


Debs,  E.  v., 

on  Marriage,  59-61 
Socialist  leader,  35 

Deut.  xxiv.,  I,  2 — 169 

Devine,    E.    T.,    on    Misery, 

391 
Diderot  on  Anarchy,  19 
Dietzgen,  J., 

God,  belief  in,  78 

Obedience  to,  79,  80 
Man,  redemption  of,  86 
Religion,  permanency  of, 

88 
Socialism  vs.  Christianity, 

109,  no 
Socialist  leader,  35 
Violence,    use     of,     102, 
103 
Diseases, 

Great  Black  Plague,  178 
Social,  178 
Tuberculosis,  177 
Divorce, 

Bolce,  H.,on,  185, 186 
Christ  on,  168,  169,  180- 

182,  189 
Evans  vs.  Evans,  192,  193 
Gibbons  on,  192 
Gibbons,  J.  C,  on,  189 
Giddings,  F.  H.,  on,  185 
Greece,  in,  187 
Greeley,  H.,  on,  188,  189 
Grounds  for, 

Deuteronomy,     167- 

169 
Genesis,  167 
Jews  on,  167-169 
Mosaic  law,  167-169 
Rabbis  on,   167-169 
Howard,  G,  E.,  on,  184 
Hume  on,  191,  192 
Milton  on,  188 
Remedies  for,   193-197 
Education,  194-197 
Churches,  197 
Clergymen,  197 
Colleges,  196 
Home     training, 
194-196 


4i6 


Index 


Divorce  (Continued) 

Krauskopf, 
Rabbi,  on, 

194.   195 
Schools,  196 
Sunday-schools, 

197 
Temperance,  197 
Ground,  single,    193, 

194 
License,  see  Marriage 
Physical   health,    see 
Marriage 
in  Rome,  187 
Savage,  Rev.  M.  J.,  on, 

182,  183 
Separation,  see  Separation 
Statistics  in, 
Austria,  191 
Belgium,  191 
England,  191 
France,  190 
Germany,  190,  191 
Hungary,  191 
Ireland,  191 
Italy,  191 
Netherlands,  191 
Norway,  191 
Scotland,  191 
Sweden,  191 
Switzerland,  190 
U.  S.,  189-191 
Wales,  191 
Thompson,  F.,  on,  188 
U.  S.  census  on,  189-191 
Ward,  Mrs.  H.,  on,  186 
Wright,  Dr.  C.  D.,  on,  182 
Zueblin,  C.,  on,  184,  185 
Doukhobor,    on   Christianity, 
349 


Education, 

effect  on  Crime,  see  Crim- 
inal 
effect    on    Divorce,    194- 
197 
Eight-hour  day,  see  Labour 


Eliot,  C.  H.,  on  Religious  edu- 
cation, 228,  229 
Ely,  R.  T.,  on  Luxuries,  272, 

273 
Emerson,  R.  W.,  on  Reputa- 
tion, 148 
Emil  on  Use  of  wealth,  282 
Engels,  F., 

Classes  of  mankind,  39 
God,  belief  in,  77,  78 

Obedience  to,  80,  81 
Leader  of  socialism,  35 
Marriage,  53,  54 
Materialism,  42,  43 
Religion,  permanency  of, 

89-91 
Society  changmg,  68 
State  to  be  abolished,  94 
World,  other,  80,  81 
Erf  ert  Programme,  see  Platform 
Evans  vs.  Evans,  192,  193 
Eve,  see  Marriage,  origin  of 
Evil,  resisting,  see  Non-resis- 
tance 
Ex-convict,  see  Criminal 


Factory  arts,  290 

Family, 

Social  unit,  159 
Unit  of  society,  159 

Farre,    Dr.    J.    R.,    on    Rest 
period,  335,  336 

Fatherhood  of  God,  see  Christ 

Federal  Constitution,  see  Con- 
stitution, U.  S. 

Federation  of  Jura,  see  Anarchy 

Ferri,  E.,  ^ 

Religion,  permanency  of, 

87 
Socialism  vs.  Christianity, 

109 
Socialist  leader,  35 
Violence,  use  of,  lOl 
Forgiveness,  see  Christ 
Fourier  on  Socialism,  34 
Fulton,  J.,  on  Marriage,  162, 
163 


Index 


417 


G 

Gambling,  268-270 

Gates,     Prof.,     on    Religious 

instruction,  227,  228 
Genesis,  i.,  i — ^304 

i.,  26,  27 — 163 
ii.,  7,  15,  18,  21-23— 

164 
ii.,  24 — 164 
Gibbons    on    Marriage    and 

divorce,  191,  192 
Giddings,  Prof., 

Marriage  and  divorce,  185 
Monopoly,  261,  262 
Public  opinion,  3 
Gladden,  Rev.  W., 

Christianity,  end  of,  133, 

134 
Individual  opinion,  8,  9 
Gladstone,  W.  H.,  on  Social 

welfare,  160 
God, 

Belief  in, 

Christ,  69-71 
Socialism,  69-78 
Kingdom     of     God,     see 

Kingdom  of  God 
Marriage,  see  Marriage 
Obedience  to, 

Christ,  79,  80 
Socialism,  79-81 
Goodrich,  C.  F,,  on  Press  and 

war,  352 
Government, 

Abolishing,  149,  150 
Christ  on,  25,  28,  94-96, 

149,  150 
Definition,  23,  24 

Century     dictionary, 

24 
Grave,  J.,  24 
Salter,  W.  N.,  24 
Tucker,  B.  R.,  23 
Reformation  of,  150,  151 
Socialism,  94-97 
Grant,  U.  S.,  on  War,  390 
Grave,     J.,   on    Government, 
24 
»7 


Great  Black  Plague,  see  Mar- 
riage, Health 

Greeley,  H.,  on  Marriage  and 
divorce,  188,  189 

Gujiton,  G.,  on  Wealth,  247 

H 

Hadley,  Dr.  A.  T.,  on  Indi- 
vidual opinion,  6,  7 
Hague  Court,  see  International 

controversies 
Hamack,  A„  on  Use  of  wealth, 

266 
Hay,  J.,  on  Press  and  war,  381, 

382 
Health,  bill  of,  see  Marriage 
Heaven,     Kingdom     of,     see 

Kingdom  of  God 
Helpmeet,  definition  of,  164 
Henderson,  C.   R.,  on  Mini- 
mum wage,  284 
Heney,  F.  J.,  on  Ex-convict, 

240,  241 
Herron,  G.  D., 

Marriage,  58,  59 
Materialism,  45 
Socialism  vs.  Christianity, 

108 
Socialist  leader,  35 
Hillis,  N.  D.,  on  Christianity, 

14.  15 
Hillquit,  M., 

Materialism,  45 
Socialist  leader,  35 
Society  changing,  68 
Violence,  use  of,    104-106 
Hirsch,    Dr.,    on    Education, 

224 
Hobhouse,  L.  T.,  on  Universal 

peace,  378 
Holzmann,  O.,  on  Christ  a  So- 
cialist, ^i 
Home-traming,  see  Divorce 
Honesty,  see  Wealth,  Accumu- 
lation 
Horse-racing,  268-270 
Howard,  G.  E.,  on  Marriage 
and  divorce,  184 


41 8 


Index 


Hume  on  Marriage   and    di- 
vorce, 191,  192 
Huxley,  Prof., 

Anarchy,  23 

Learning  and  Doing,  15 
Hyndmann,  H.  M., 

Christ  an  Anarchist,  25 

Marriage,  61,  62 


Idleness,  see  Labour 
Immortality, 

Christ  on,  83,  84 
Socialism  on,  83 
Indeterminate    sentences,    see 

Criminal 
India,  condition  of,  10 
Indiana  physical   health  law, 

180 
Individual,  see  Unit 
International  Alliance,  see  An- 
archy 
International  bodies, 

Cecil  Rhodes  Scholarship, 

367,368 
Inter-P  arliamentary 
Union,  366 

Butler,    N.    M.,    on, 
366,  367 
Number  of,  367 
Peace  congress,  366 
First,  368 

Results  of,    368, 

,369 
Second,  368-371 

Results  of,  368- 

371 
International   controversies, 

343-385 

Armaments,  see  War  pre- 
parations 
Controversies,  348,  349 
Court,  world. 

Submission  to,  351 
Switzerland    Federal 

Court,  377,  378 
U.  S.  Supreme  Court, 
376,  377 


Disease,   C.  E.  Jefferson 

on,  364 
Hague  Court,  368-^71 
Treaties  referring  to, 

371 

Independence,  372 
Nation,  definition  of,  345, 
346 

Cooley  on,  345,  346 
National  honour,  372-374 

Bryce,  J.,  372 

Coudert,  F.  R.,  on, 

„  373.  374 

France  and  Germany, 

372 
Germany  and  France, 

372 
Taft,  Pres.,  374 
Nations, 

Dealing  of, 
Basis,  346 
Christ   on,    346, 
348       ^ 
Unity  of,  see  Cosmo- 
politanism 
Remedy, 

Alliance,  world,  376- 
378 

Hobhouse,  L.  T., 

on,  378 
Switzerland,  377, 

378 
U.    S.    Govern- 
ment, 376, 377 
Arbitration,  350,  351 
Christ,  349-351 
Cosmopolitanism, 

354-357 

Avebury,    Lord, 

357 
Tawney,    J.    A. 

355 
International  bodies, 
see    International 
bodies 
Ministers,     teach 
peace,    378,    379 
Bright,  J.,  379  , 
Negotiation,  350  .- 


Index 


419 


International  (Continued) 
Peace  societies, 

Number  of,  366 
Value  of,  382, 383 
Press,  381,382 

Goodrich,  C.  P., 

on,  381,382 
Hay,  J.,  on,  381, 
382 
Social  ostracism,  351 
Stmday-schools,  teach 

peace,  378,  379 
Treaties,  see  Treaties 
Root,  E.,  381 
Vital  interests,  372 
War, 

Attitude  toward, 

Christ's,  346, 348 
France,  362 
Germany,  363 
Russia,  362 
Statesmen,    363, 

364 

Bryce,   J., 

363 

Camp  bell- 
B  a  n  n  er- 
mann,  H., 

364.  365 
Jefferson,  C. 

E.,  364 
J  u  s  s  erand, 

363 
Root,  E.,  363 
Taft,    Pres., 

363.  364 
Christian, 

Christ,  374-376 
Cuba  and  U.  S., 

375.  376 
U.  S.  and  Cuba, 
375.  376 
Evils     of,     346-348, 
359-361 

Channmg,     Dr., 

347 
Crosby,    E.    H., 

347.  348 
Doukhobor,  349 


Grant,  U.  S.,  380 
Lowell,     J.     R., 

346.  347 
Sherman,  W.  T., 

359 
Necessary   for   man- 
hood, 360, 361 
Addams,   Jane, 

360,  361 
James,   W.,   361 
Schurz,   C,  380 
Preparations  for,  35 1- 

353 

Battleship,    cost 

of.  357 
Camp  bell-Ban- 
nermann,    H., 

359 
Schurman,  J.  G., 

352,  353 
Stead,     W.     T., 

357.  358 
U.  S.  in,  353 


James  v.,  1-8 — 249 
James,  W.,  on  War  and  man- 
hood, 361 
Jaures,  J., 

God,  obedience  to,  79 
Man,  development  of,  65 
Marriage,  50 
Private  property,  46 
Socialist  leader,  35 
Jefferson,  C.  E., 

Statesmen  and  war,  364 
War  a  disease,  364 
Jenks,  Prof.  J., 

Christ's  mfluence,  11 
Effect  of  individual  opin- 
ion, 8 
Jevons  on  Wealth,  247 
John  i.,  51 — 70 

ii.,  I,  21 — 251 
iii.,  3—64 
v.,  2-17—335 
v.,  17—304 
vi.,  15—25 


420 


Index 


John  (Continued) 
vi.,  27—44 
vii.,  26,  27 — 142 
viii.,  12 — 65 
viii.,  50-^51 
viii.,  59—142 
X.,  10 — 65 
X.,  39—142 
xi.,  1-44— 132 
xiii.,  29 — 248 
xiv.,  2 — 82 
xiv.,  15 — 80 
XV.,  14 — 80 
xvii.,  25,  26 — 71 
xviii.,  10,  II — 98 
xviii.,  33-38—26 
xix.,  39—251 
XX.,  17 — 71 
John  the  Baptist,  117,  118 
Juvenile  Court,  21 1-214 
Basis  of,  212,  213 
Christ  on,  212,  214 
Lindsey,  B.  B.,  211,  212 
Procedure  of,  213 

K 

Kautsky,  K., 
Marriage,  54 
Nature,  human,  change  of, 

64 
Socialist  leader,  35 
Kerr,  C.  H., 

Marriage,  57,  58 
Socialist  leader,  35 
Violence,  use  of,  loi,  102 
Kingdom  of  God,  1 15-135 
Admission  to,  124-129 
Christ, 

Aim  supreme,  119 
Chief  teaching,    118, 

119 
Reward   of    seeking, 
119 
Citizenship   in,    124-129 
Forfeiting,  125-129 
Growth  in,  130 
Renewing,  125-129 
Test  of,  130-132 


Time  of,  129 
Cornerstones  of,  120-123 
Brotherhood  of  man, 

121,  122 
Childlikenessof  spirit, 

122 
Fatherhood   of   God, 

121 
Serviceableness,    122, 
123 
Growth  of,  130 
Heaven,  Kingdom  of,  118, 

119 
Hebrew  term,  115 

Belief  in,  115-117 
Conception  of,    115- 
117 
John  the  Baptist,  117,  118 
Threefold    interpretation, 
119,  120 
Future  state,  120 
Inward  presence,  119 
Present  condition, 
119,  120 
Kingdom  of  Heaven,  see  King- 
dom of  God 
Krauskopf ,  Rabbi,  on  Divorce, 

194.  195 
Kropatkin,  P.,  on  Anarchy,  22, 

23 


La  Boetie  on  Anarchy,  19 
Labour,  299-328 
Black,  H.,  310 
Capital  vs.,  324-326 
Ross,  J.,  325,  326 
Children,  employment  of, 
316,317 

Lovejoy,   O.  R.,  on, 
316,317 
Christ  on,  304-306,  309, 

310 
Citizens  Industrial  Assn., 

321 
Duty  to,  304-307 
Eight-hour  day,  314-316 
Mitchell,  J.,  on,  315, 
316 


Index 


421 


Labour  (Continued) 
Idleness,  306-310 

Danger  of,  306,  310 
Darwin,  C.,  on,  307 
Employable,  308 
Incorrigibles,  309 
Unemployable,     308, 

309 

Vagrants,  309 
Vicious,  309 
Motive  for,  31 1-3 13 
Carlyle,  T.,  313 
Christ,  312 
Wilson,  W.,  313 
Murillo's  picture,  310 
Political      economy,      see 

Political  economy 
Profits,  division  of,  317 
Reward  of,  305-307 
Solution  of  problem,  323- 
328 

Arbitration,  326,  327 
Wright,    C.    D., 
326,  327 
Boycott,  328 
Christ,  323-328 
Court,  327,  328 
Lock-outs,  322-328 
Mediation,  323-326 
Separation,  final,  328 
Strikes,  322-328 
Unfair  list,  328 
Unions,  321-328 
Growth  of,  321 
Object  of,  322 
Strength  of,  322 
Vocational  training,  318, 

319 

Laughlm,  J.  L.,  on, 

318.319 
Wages,  317,  318 
Wishart,  A.  W.,  on,  311 

Labriola,  A., 

God,  belief  in,  71,  72 
Socialist  leader,  35 
Will,  freedom  of,  63 

Ladoflf,  L, 

Socialism  vs.  Christianity, 
107 


Socialist  leader,  35 
Lafargue,  P., 

God,  belief  in,  75,  76 

Immortality,  82 

Man,  development  of,  65 

Marriage,  62 

Religion,  permanency   of, 
90,91 

Socialist  leader,  35 
La  Fontaine  on  Anarchy,  19 
Lalone,  M.,  on  Imprisonment, 

215 

Lamb,  C,  on  Marriage,  171 

La  Monte,  R.  R., 

God,  belief  in,  73-75 
Marriage,  51,  52 
Materialism,  on,  43 
Religion,  permanency  of, 

92.93 
Socialist  leader,  35 
State  to  beabolished,  96, 97 
Will,  freedorn  of,  63 
L'Ange  on  Socialism,  33,  34 
Lansdown,  Marquis,  on  Trea- 
ties, 362 
Laughlin,  J.  L.,  on  Vocational 

training,  318,  3:19 
Laveleye,  M.  de,  on  Luxuries, 

272 
Law,  obedience  to,  see  Non- 
resistance 
Leatham,  J.,  on  Socialism  vs. 

Christianity,  109,  no 
Lecky  on  Charity,  12 
Legal     injustice,     see     Non- 
resistance 
Leonard,  J.  A.,  on  Trusting, 

242,  243 
Lewis,  C.  T.,  on  Men  and  acts, 

217 
License,  see  Marriage 
Liddon,  Dr.,  on  Responsibility, 

292 
Liebig,  J.  V.,  on  Drinking,  393 
Lieblaiecht,  W., 

Socialist  leader,  35 
Socialist  platform,  38 
Violence,  use  of,  100,  1 01 
World,  other,  82 


422 


Index 


Lincoln,  A., 

Enmity,  147 
Honesty,  264 
Maligners,  146,  147 
Mother's  advice  to,  139 
Stanton,  E.  M.,  264 
Lindsey,  B.  B.,  on  Juveniles, 

211,  212 
Liquor,  268-270 
Lock-out,  see  Labour 
Lord's  Day,  see  Sunday 
Loria,  A., 

Socialist  leader,  35 
Religion,  permanency  of,  89 
Louis     XIV.     on     Spending 

money,  270 
Love,  see  Christ 
Lovejoy,  O.  R.,  on  Employ- 
ment of  children,  316,  317 
Lowell,  J.  R., 

Christianity,  12,  13 
War,  346,  347 
Luckock,  H.  B., 
Cleave,  167 
on  Helpmeet,  164 
Luke, 

ii.,  14—139 
ii.,  49—309 
vi.,  1-4—334 
VI.,  16-31—250 
yi.,  30,  46—247 
viii.,  2,  3 — 250 
X.,  i-ii — 118 
X.,  8-1 1 — ^295 
X.,  20—85 
X.,  29-37—346 
X.,  39-42—44 
xi.,  2 — 82 
xi.,  9—63 
.  xi.,  27,  28 — 151 
xii.,  15,  44—252 
xii.,  16-21 — 253 
xii.,  33,  46—248 
xiii.,  11-17— 334 
xiii.,  29—39 
xiv.,  1-6—334 
xiv.,  28 — 63 
xiv.,  33—63 
XV.,  11-32 — 126,  127 


XV.,  20-24 — 296 

xvi.,  10-12 — 258 

xvi.,  18 — 51 
xvii.,  3 — 296 
xvii.,  20,  21 — 117 
xviii.,  17 — 64 
xviii.,  18-25—250,  254 
xviii.,  26,  30 — 83 

xix.,  I,  10 — 251 

xix.,  5—247 

xix.,  5,  8,  9—47 

xix.,  11-27 — 257 

XX.,  25—94 

xxi.,  33—87 

xxii.,  35,  36—46 
xxii.,  42 — 79 

xxii.,  50,  51 — 98 
xxii.,  69-72 — 70 
xxiii.,  I,  2,  13-15 — 96 
xxiii.,  34—145 
xxiii.,  43—83 
xxiv.,  34—332 
xxiv.,  36-43—332 
Luxuries,  see  Wealth,  adminis- 
tration of 

M 

Maconochie,  on  Indeterminate 

sentence,  233 
Man, 

Development  of, 
Christ,  65 
Socialism,  65 
Redemption  of, 
Christ,  86 
Socialism,  86 
Mark, 

i.,  15— 118 
i.,  20 — 251 
ii-.  27—335 
iv.,  28 — 130 
iv.,  30-32—134 
X.,  5-9—50 
X.,  II,  12 — 51,  169 
X.,  15—64 
X.,  17-31—248 
X.,  26,  27 — 86 
X.,  29—83 


Index 


423 


Mark  (Continued) 

xi.,  15-17— 153.  375 
xii.,  17 — 94 
xii.,  28-31—345 
xii.,  29,  30 — 69 
xii.,  30,  31 — 68 
xiv.,  36—79 
xiv.,  65 — 146 
xvi.,  7 — 146 
xvi.,  9,  10-332 
xvi.,  12 — 332 
xvi.,  15—39 
Marriage,  157-197 

Christ  on,  50,  167,  182 
Attitude  toward,  167- 

169,  180-182,  189 
Definition  of,  168, 169 
Polyandry,  169 
Polygamy,  169 
Contract  of,  160-163 

Blackstone,    W.    H., 

161 
Story,  Judge,  162 
Definition  of,  160-163 
Divorce,  see  Divorce 
Duty  of,  169-17 1 

Exception,  170,  171 
Lamb,  C,  171 
Evans  vs.  Evans,  192,  193 
Gibbons  on,  192 
Gibbons,  J.  C,  on,  189 
in  Greece,  187 
Greeley,  H.,  188,  189 
Health,  175 

Ment^,  175 
Physical,  175 

Am.    Society    of 
Sanitary     and 
Moral  Prophy- 
laxis on,  177 
Great  Black 

Plague,  177 
Indiana  law,  1 80 
Morrow,  Dr.  P. 

A.,  178 
Reeve,     C.     H., 

176,  177 
Social     diseases, 
177 


Tuberculosis,  177 
Washington  law, 
180 
Hume  on,  191,  192 
Importance  of,  160 

Gladstone,  W.  E.,  on, 
160 
Krauskopf,     Rabbi,     on, 

194.  195 
License  to,  173-175 
Brown,  H.  B.,  174 
Roman    Catholic 
Church,  174,  175 
Object  of,  164-167,  182- 
189 
Adler,  F.,  165,  166 
Bolce,  H.,  185,  186 
Christ,  165 
Colleges,  184-186 
Giddings,  F.  H.,  185 
Happiness,  184-188 
Hegel,  165 
Howard,  G.  E.,  184 
Savage,  Rev.  M.  J., 

182,  183 
Shakespeare,  165 
Ward,  Mrs.  H.,  186 
Wright,  C.  D.,  182 
f"  Zueblin,  C,  184,  185 
Origin  of,  163-167 
Physical       health,       see 

Health  Id. 
in  Rome,  187 
Sacredness  of,  171,  172 
Safeguarding,  171 

Marriage  license,  see 

License  Id. 
Physical    health,   see 
Health  Id. 
Savage,  Rev.  M.  J.,  182, 

Separation,    see    Separa- 
tion 
Socialism  on,  see  Socialism 
Status  of,  160,  163 

Fulton,  J.,  162,  163 
Milton,  188 
Story,  Judge,  162 
Martineau,  J.,  on  Christ,  11 


424 


Index 


Marx,  K., 

God,  belief  in,  72 
Materialism,  43,  44 
Pathfinder,  the,  34 
Property,  private,  47,  48 
Religion,  permanency  of, 

89 
Society,  uplifting,  67 
Violence,  use  of,  98,  99 
Masten,  V.  M.,  on  Criminals, 

treatment  of,  210,  211 
Matthew  iv.,  18-20 — 41,  85 
iv.,  19—79 
iv.,  23 — 118 
v.,  13—66 
v.,  16—82 
v.,  16,  45—82 
v.,  17,  18—49 
v.,  32—50 
v.,  39-41—140 
v.,  42 — 46 
vi.,  1 ,  9 — 82 
vi.,  4—71 
VI.,  9,  10—79 
vi.,  10 — 82 
vi.,  19,  20,  42 — 252 
vi.,  24—253 
vi.,  33,  41,63—68 
vii.,  7 — 63 
vii.,  II,  21 — 82 
vii.,  24,  25 — 65 
viii.,  5,  13—251 
viii.,  14—247 
ix.,  35—133 
X.,  7 — 118 
X.,  16 — 152 
X.,  23—142 
Xm  32,  33—82 
xi.,  28 — ^39 
xi.,  29 — 79 
xii.,  1-6—334 
xii.,  8—335 
xii.,  10-13—334 

xii.,  34.  35—64 

xu.,  50 — 82 
xiii.,  2 — 118 
xiii.,  13—134 
xiu.,  31,  32—134 
xvi.,  16,  17 — 69 


xvi.,  17 — 82 
xvi.,  24,  25 — 266 
xvi.,  26 — 42 

xvii.,  24-27 — 26,  95 

xviii.,  3 — 64 

xviii.,  10,      14,      19 — 
82 

xviii.,  15-17—150,155. 
325,  350 
xix.,  4 — 165 
xix.,  3-6—50,  165 
xix.,  26,  27 — 86 
xix.,  29 — 83 
xxi.,  12,  13—375 
xxii.,  9—39 
xxii.,  17-21 — 26 
xxii.,  21 — 94 

xxiii.,  23 — 2^ 

xxiv.,  14 — 118 
XXV.,  14-30  —  257, 
304 

XXV.,   16,    21 259 

XXV.,  32-46—131,132 
XXV.,  34—84 
XXV.,  46 — 82,  253 
xxvi.,  7-10,  13—43 
xxvi.,  19 — 82 
xxvi.,  39,  42—79 
xxvi.,  45-50—146 
xxvi.,  51-53—154 
xxvi.,  52—376 
xxvi.,  52,  53,  57— 

98 
XXVI.,  67 — 146 
XX vii.,  30 — 146 
xxviii.,  8-10 — 332 
XX viii.,  57 — 251 
Mediation,  duty  of,  155,  156 
International,   see    Inter- 
national controversies 
Labour,  see  Labour 
Mill,  J.  S., 

Individual     influence,    9, 

10 
Political  economy,  301 
Milton, 

Marriage,  188 
Overcoming  by  force,  152 
Minimum  wage,  see  Wage 


Index 


425 


Mohammed, 

Effect  of,  on  Arabia,  10 
on  Turkey,  10 
Monopoly,  see  Wealth,  accu- 
mulation of 
Moody  on  Trasts,  320,  321 
Moody's  convert,  141 
Moran,  T.  F.,  on  Luxuries,  272 
Morris,  W.,  on  Marriage,  55,  56 
Morrow,  Dr.  P.  A.,  on  Social 

diseases,  178 
Mtinzer  on  Anarchy,  19 
Murillo's  picture  on  Work,  310 

N 

Nation,  definition  of,  345,  346 

Cooley  on,  345,  346 
National  Socialist  party,  35 
Neckar  on  Effect  of  individual 

opinion,  7 
Negotiation,  duty  of,  155,  156 
Nelson,  Lord,  on  Trusting,  242 
New  York  Parole  Board,  see 

Parole  Board 
New  York  Volkszeitung, 
God,  belief  in,  6g 
Property,  private,  46 
Nitti,  F.  S.,  on  Christ  a  Social- 
ist, 31 
Non-resistance,  136-156 

Christ  on,  139,  141,  151- 
156 
■  Courts,  abolition, 

Christ  on,  149,  150 
Exception,  1 53-1 55. 
Government,  abolition  of, 
Christ  on,  149,  150 
Oppression    of,    150, 

151 
Reformation  of,  150, 

151 

Legal  injustice,  148-150 
Christ  on,  149,  150 
Tolstoi  on,  148,  149 

Literal  interpretation,  149 

Method  of  acting,  155,  156 

Milton  on,  152 


Physical    violence,     140- 

145 
Christ  on,  141,   142, 

140 
Crosby,  E.,  142-145 
Moody's  convert,  141 
Tolstoi,   L.,    142-145 
Wright,  R.,  145 
Reputation,     injury     to, 
146-148 
Christ  on,  146-148 
Defence  of,  148 
Emerson,  148 
Lincoln,  A.,  146,  147 
Salvation     Army 
leader,  147,  148 
Ribot  on,  151 
Schiller  on,  152 
Tolstoi,  L.,  on,  152,  153 


Opinion,  individual. 

Effect  of,  on  public  opin- 
ion, 7-10 
Gladden,  Rev.  W.,  8, 

9 

Illustration,  7,  8 
Jenks,  Prof.  J.,  8 
Mill,  J.  S.,  9,  ID 
Neckar,  7 
Formation  of,  4-7 

Hadley,  Dr.  A.  T.,  6, 

7 
Vincent,  G.  E.,  5,  6 
Responsibility  for,  10 
Opinion,    public,     see    Public 

opinion 
Ostracism,   social,    156,    294- 
296 

Christ  on,  2^5,  296 
Owen  R.,  on  Socialism,  34 


Page,  E.  de,  on  Honesty,  263, 
264 

Parker,  J.,  on  Church  attend- 
ance, 337,  338 


426 


Index 


Parole  Board,  233-235 
Constitution  of,  233 
New  York,  234,  235 
Power  of,  233,  234 
Peace   congress,  see   Interna- 
tional bodies 
Perkins,  G.  W.,  on  Sanitary 

conditions,  293 
Pernerstofer  Resolution,  76 
Phillips,  Chaplain,    Education 

of  criminals,  226 
Philosophers,  effect  of,  1 1 
Picture  on  Wealth,  255,  256 
Platforms, 

Chicago,  41 
Erfurt,  41,  no,  in 
Gotha,  41 
Vienna,  41 
Political  economy,  301-304 
School  of. 

New,  302-304 

Wright,    C.    D., 
302,  303 
Old, 301-302 

Carlyle,  T.,  302 
MiU,  J.  S.,  301 
Polyandry,  Christ  on,  169 
Polygamy,  Christ  on,  169 
Potter,  Bishop  H.  C,  on  Ex- 
convict,  237 
Poverty,  causes  of,  392-396 
Prices,  see  Wealth,  accumula- 
tion of 
Prisoner,  see  Criminal 
Prisons,  201,  215,  218-230 
Building,  218-220 

Collins,  C.  v.,  219 
in  New  York,  2 1 8-220 
Christ  on,  201 
Classification  in,  221 

in  New  York,  221 
Confinement,  solitary,  221 

Penn.  system,  221 
Essential,  218 
Examination  in,  220,  221 

Christ  on,  220 
Lalone,  M.,  on,  215 
Meals  in,  222,  223 
Mingling  in,  221-223 


School  in,  223-230 

Industrial  instruction, 

222,  224-226 
BrinkerhoflF,  Gen. 

R.,     on,     226, 
227 
Importance     of, 

224,  225 
Phillips,     Chap- 
lain, 226 
State    use,    226, 
227 
Mental     instruction, 

223,  224 
Carlyle,  T.,    on, 

224 
Clement  XI.,  223 
Hirsch,  Dr.,  224 
Roosevelt,       T., 

223,  224 
Wey,  Dr.,  225 
Religious  instruction, 
227-230 

Asarias,  Brother, 

on,  230 
Bois,  H.  M.,229, 

230 
Eliot,  C.H.,  228, 

229 
Gates,  Prof.,  227, 

228 
Morality     and, 

228,  229 

Spencer,  H.,  229 

Solitary  confinement, 

see  Confinement  above 

State     use     system,     see 

School,  industrial 
Workshop  in,  222 
Probation,  adult,  214-217 
Lalone,  M.,  on,  215 
Report  on,  216,  217 
States  having,  215,  216 
Property,  private,  see  Wealth 
Christ    on,    46,    47;     see 

Wealth 
Socialists  on,  46-48 
Proudhon,  P.  J.,  on  Anarchy, 
21 


Index 


427 


Public  opinion, 

American,  sovereign,  3 
Bryce,  James,  on,  2 
Corporate  reform,  294 
Definition,  3 

Giddings,  Prof.,  3 
Small  &  Vincent,  3 
Duty  to  form,  150,  151 
Effect  of  individual  opin- 
ion on,  7-10 

Gladden,  Rev.  W.,  8, 

9 

Illustration,  7,  8 
Jenks,  Prof.  J.,  8 
Mill,J.  S.,  9,  10 
Neckar,  7 
Effect   of,    on   individual 
opinion,  4 

Baldwin,  Prof.,  4 

R 

Rabelais  on  Anarchy,  19 

Rauschenbusch,  W.,  on  effect 
of  low  wages,  284,  285 

Reave,  C.  H.,  on  Bill  of  health, 
176,  177 

Religion,  permanency  of, 
Christ  on,  87 
Socialism  on,  87-93 

Religious    schools    abolished, 
no,  III 

Renan,  E.,  Christ  an  Anarch- 
ist, 24,  25 

Reputation,  injury  to,  see  Non- 
resistance 

Rhodes,   C,    on    Scholarship, 
367.368 

Ribot,  service,  effect  of,  151 

Rodbertus,  K.,  on  Socialism, 

34 
Roman  Catholic    Church    on 

Marriage,  174,  175 
Roosevelt,  T., 

Education   o  f    criminals, 

223,  224 
Tenements,  394 
Root,  E.,  on  Arbitration,  381 


Ross,  E.  A.,  on  Criminaloid, 
291,  292 

Ross,  J.,  on  Labour  and  capi- 
tal, 325.  326 

Russell,  Lord,  on  Duty  of  men, 
348 


Sabbath,  see  Sunday 
Saint-Simon,  H.,  on  Socialism, 

34 
Salter,  W.H., 
Anarchy,  23 
Government,  24 
Salvation   Army   leader,    147, 

148 
Sanitary  conditions,  293 

Perkins,  G.  W.,  on,  293 
Savage,  Rev.  M.  J.,  on  Mar- 
riage and  divorce,  182,  183 
Say,  J.  N.,  on  Luxuries,  272 
Schiller     on     Reconciliation, 

152 
Schools, 

Prison,  see  Criminal 
Religious,     see    Religious 

schools 
Remedy  for  Divorce,  see 

Divorce 
Simday,  see  Divorce 
Schouler  on  Marriage,  160 
Schurman,  J.  G.,  war,  prepar- 
ation for,  352,  353 
Schurz,  C,  on  War  and  peace, 

380 
Seminaries,     see     Theological 

seminaries 
Senior,  Prof.,  on  Luxuries,  271 
Separation,  193 
Christ  on,  193 
Grounds  for,  193 
Service,  see  Christ 
Sherman,  W.  T.,  on  War,  359 
Simple  life,  265 
Small   &    Vincent   on   Public 

opinion,  3 
Smith,  A.,  on  Luxuries,  271, 
272 


428 


Index 


Social  ostracism,  see  Ostracism 
Social  vice,  268-270 
Socialism,  31-112 

Christ  a  Socialist, 

Campbell,  R.  J.,  31 
Holzmann,  O.,  31 
Nitti,  F,  S.,  31 
Spargo,  J.,  38 
White,  Rev.  E„  31 
Willard,  F.  E.,  31 

Christianity  vs., 

Aveling,  E.,  107,  108 
Bax,  B.,  108,  109 
Bebel,  A.,  112 
Dietzgen,  J.,  no 
Ferri,  E.,  109 
t  Herron,  G.  D.,  108 

Ladoff,  I.,  107 
Leathan,  J.,  109,  no 
Sozial  Demokrat,  109 

Church  yj., 

Bebel,  A.,  in 
Untermami,  E.,  112 
Vandervelde,  E.,  in, 
112 

Churches  abolished,   108, 
III 

Classes  of  mankind, 
Christ,  39 
Engels,  F.,  39 
Spargo,  J.  S.,  39,  40 

Communist  manifesto,  61 
Laf argue,  P.,  62 

Definition,  32,  33 

Hillquit,  M.,  36,  37 
Liebknecht,  W.,  38 
Spargo,  J.,  37 
Worker,  37 

God,  belief  in, 
Bax,  B.,  71 
Bebel,  A.,  76,  77 
Der  Volkstaat,  69 
Dietzgen,  J.,  78 
Engels,  F.,  77,  78 
Labriola,  A.,  71,  72 
Laf  argue.  P.,  75,  76 
La  Monte,  R.  R.,  73- 

75 
Marx,  K.,  72 


New  York  Volkszei- 
tung,  69 

Pemerstofer  Resolu- 
tion, 76 

Sozial  Demokrat,  72, 

73 
Untermann,    E.,    69, 
70 

Government,  see  State 

Immortality, 
Bax,  B.,  83 
Laf  argue.  P.,  83 

International  party,  35 
Chicago  platform,  35 

Leaders, 

Aveling,  E.,  35 
Babeuf,  34 
Bax,  B.,  35 
Bebel,  A.,  35 
Blanc,  L.,  34 
Blatchford,  R.,  35 
Buonarotti,  33,  34 
Debs,  E.  v.,  35 
Deville,  G.,  35 
Dietzgen,  J.,  35 
Engels,  F.,  35,  36 
Ferri,  E.,  35 
Fourier,  33,  34 
Herron,  G.  D.,  35 
Hillquit,  M.,  35 
Jaures,  J.,  35 
Kautsky,  K.,  35 
Kerr,  C.  H.,  35 
Labriola,  A.,  35 
Ladoff,  I.,  35 
Laf  argue.  P.,  35 
La  Monte,  R.  R.,  35 
L'Ange,  33,  34 
Lasalle,  F.,  35 
Liebknecht,  W.,  35 
Loria,  A.,  35 
Marx,  K.,  34,  36 
Owen,  R.,  34 
Rodbertus,  K.,  34 
Simons,  A.  M.,  35  | 
Spargo,  J.  S.,  35 
Stein,  L.,  34 
Untermann,  E.,  35 
VaU,  C.  H.,  35] 


Index 


429 


Socialism  {Continual 

Vandervelde,  E.,  35 
Videl,  34 
Man, 

Development  of,  65 
Javires,  J.,  65 
Laf argue.  P.,  65 
Redemption  of,  86 
Bebel,  A.,  86 
Dietzgen,  J.,  85 
Marriage, 

Bax,  B.,  55,  56 
Bebel,  A.,  52,  53 
Carpenter,  C,  56,  57 
Debs,  E.  v.,  59-61 
Engels,  F.,  53,  54 
Herron,  G.  D.,  58,  59 
Hyndman,  H.  M.,  61, 

62 
Jaures,  J.,  50 
Kautsky,  K„  54 
Kerr,  C.  H.,  57,  58 
La  Monte,  R.  R.  ,51, 

52 
Morris,  W,,  55,  56 
Materialism  of,  41-45 
Bax,  B.,  41 
Engels,  F.,  42, 43 
Herron,  G.  D.,  45 
Hillquit,  M.,  45 
La  Monte,  R.  R.,  42 
Marx,  K.,  43,  44 
Nature,  human,  change  of, 
64 

Kautsky,  K.,  64 
Untermarm,  E.,  64 
Origin  of,  337-35 
Property,  private, 

Communist  manifes- 
to, 47 
Jaures,  J.,  46 
Marx,  K.,  47,  48 
New     York      Volks- 
zeitung,  46 
Religion,  permanency  of, 
Bax,  B.,  88 
Bebel,  A.,  91 
Dietzgen,  J.,  87,  88 
Engels,  F.,  89-91 


Ferri,  E.,  87 

Laf  argue,  P.,  90,  91, 

92 
La  Monte,  R.  R.,  92, 

93 
Lona,  A.,  89 
Marx,  K.,  89 
Religious    schools     abol- 
ished, no,  in 
Schools,  religious,  see  Re- 
ligious schools 
Seminaries,  see  Theologi- 
cal seminaries 
Society, 

Changing,  68 

Engels,  F.,  68 
Hillquit,  M.,  68 
Uplifting,  66,  67 
Bax,  B.,  66 
Marx,  K.,  67 
Spargo,  J.  S.,  66, 

67 
Soul,  see  Immortality 
State  to  be  abolished 
Bebel,  A.,  96 
Commimist    mani- 
festo, 94,  95 
Engels,  F.,  94 
La  Monte,  R.  R.,  96, 

97 
Theological     seminaries 

abolished,  no,  in 
Violence, 

Bax,  B.,  103,  104 
Bebel,  A.,  99,  100 
Dietzgen,  J.,  102, 103 
Ferri,  E.,  lOl 
Hillquit,  M.,  104-106 
Kerr,  C.  H.,  loi,  102 
Liebknecht,  W.,  1 01 
Marx,  K.,  98, 99 
Will,  freedom  of,  63 
Labriola,  A.,  63 
La  Monte,  R.  R.,  63 
World,  other. 
Despises, 

Bax,  B.,  85 
Sozial  Demokrat, 
85 


430 


Index 


Socialism  (Continued) 
Existence  of, 

Engels,  F.,  82 
Liebknecht,   W., 
82 
Society, 

Changing,  68 
Christianising  of,  131-134 
Gladden,  W.,  133,134 
Crime  and,  207 
Reconstruction  of, 
Attempts  at,  389 

Devine,    E.    T., 

391 
Knowledge,  390, 

391 
Investigation,     392- 

396 

Liebig,  J.  v.,  393 
Roosevelt,      T., 

394 
Wise,  S.  S.,  392 
Wright,    C.    D., 

395 
Need  of,  389 
Remedies, 

Christ's,  401-406 
Legal,  397,  398 
Love,  399-401 
Man,     valuing, 
401-409 
Christ  on, 

401 
Stocker   on, 
401 ,  402 
Socialism,  404 
Removal   of    evils, 
396-409 

Christ   on,   399, 
400 
Unit  of,  159 

Uplifting  of,  66,  67,  159, 
160 
Christian    duty,  on, 

409 
City,  406-409 

Chesterton,     G. 

K.,  407,  408 
Comte,  406 


Welfare  of,  159, 160 

Gladstone,  W.  E.,  160 
Spencer,  H.,  160 
Soul,  immortality,  see  Immor- 
tality 
Sozial  Demokrat, 

God,  belief  in,  72,  73 
Socialism  vs.  Christianity, 

109 
World,  despises  other,  85 
Spargo,  J.  S., 

Christ  a  Socialist,  38 
Classes  of    mankind,  39, 

40 
Leader  of  Socialism,  35 
Socialist  platform,  37 
Society,  uplifting,  66,  67 
Spencer,  H., 

Religious  education,   229 
Social  welfare,  160 
Stanton,     E.     M.,     Lincoln's 

treatment  of,  147 
State,  see  Government 
Stead,  W.  T.,  Russian  revolu- 
tion, 357,  358 
Stein,  L.,  on  Socialism,  34 
Stephen,  Sir  J.,  on  Crime,  209 
Stirner,  M.,  on  Anarchy,   19, 

20 
Stocker,  Pastor,  on  Child  la- 
bour, 401,  402 
Story,  judge,  on  Marriage,  162 
Strikes,  see  Labour 
Sunday, 329-342 

Art  galleries,  opening  of, 

338,  339 
Base-ball  on,  340 
Card-playing  on,  339 
Christ  on,  333-336 
Church  attendance,  337, 
338 
Parker,  J.,  on,  337, 
338 
Dancing  on,  340 
Dedication  of,  332-335 
Golf  on,  340 
Library  opening  on,  338, 

339 
Lord's  Day,  332-335 


Index 


431 


Sunday  (Continued) 

Novel-reading  on,  338 
Rest  day,  a,  335-342 

Farre,  J.  R.,  on,  335, 
336 
Riding  on,  340 
Sabbath,  329-333 

Abrogation  of,   332- 

335 
Observance  of,  329- 
330 
Tennis  on,  340 
Theatre  opening  on,  339, 

340 
Work  on,  333-337 

For  others,  334,  335 
For  self,  333,  334 


Taft,  Pres., 

National  honour,  374 
War     and     peace,     363, 

364 
Tainted  money,  277-280 
Tawney,  J.  A.,  on  Unity  of 

nations,  355 
Temperance, 

Divorce  and,  197 
History  of,  7,  8 
Liebig,  J.  V.,  on,  393 
Work  and,  393-396 
Wright,  C.    D.,    on,    395 
Tertullian  on  War,  376 
Theological    seminaries    abol- 
ished, no.  Ill 
2  Thess.  iii.,  6-15 — 249 
Thompson,  C.  B.,  Christ  on 

wealth,  267 
Thompson,    F.,    on    Divorce, 

188 
Tolstoi,  L., 

Christ  an  Anarchist,  25 
Judging,  207,  208 
Non-resistance,    142-145, 

152,  153 
Treaties, 

Anglo-Japanese,  362 


Argentine  and  Chile,  372, 

383-385 
Baltic  Sea  neutral,  371 
Canada  and  U.  S.,  383 
Chile  and  Argentine,  372, 

383-385 
Denmark  and  Italy,  372 
Denmark    and     Nether- 
lands, 372 
England  and  France,  371 
England,  Russia,  and  Nor- 
way, 371 
France  and  England,  371 
Italy  and  Dermiark,  372 
Japan  and  U.  S.,  371 
Jay,  365 

Netherlands     and     Den- 
mark, 372 
North  Sea  neutral,  371 
Norway   neutral  ground, 

371 
Norway,  Russia,  and  Eng- 
land, 371 
Number  of,  365,  366 
Pacific  neutral,  371 
Russia,  England,  and  Nor- 
way, 371 
U.   S.   and  Canada,   383 
U.  S.  and  Japan,  371 
Trusts,  see  Corporations 
Tuberculosis,  177 
Tucker,  B.  R.,  on  Government, 

23 

Turkey,  Mohammedan  ism  m, 
10 


Unit, 

Christ  on,  159 

Family,  159 

Individual,  159 

Social,  159 
U.  S.  citizens,  see  Citizen 
U.  S.  Constitution,  see  Consti- 
tution 
U.  S.,  divorce  in,  189-191 
Untermann,  E., 

Churches,  war  on,  1 12 


432 


Index 


Untermann,  E.  (Continued) 
God, 

Belief  in,  69,  70 

Obedience  to,  80 

Nature,    human,    change 

of,  64 
Socialist  leader,  35 


Vandervelde,  E., 

Churches,  war  on,  in,  112 
Socialist  leader,  35 
Van  Dyke,  J.  C,  on  Use  of 

wealth,  267,  268 
Videl  on  Socialism,  34 
Vincent,  G.  E.,  on  Individual 

opinion,  5,  6 
Violence,  use  of, 
Christ  on,  97 
Physical,  see  Non-resist- 
ance 
Socialism,  98-106 
Vocational  training,  318,  319 

W 

Wage,  see  Labour 

Minimum,  283-287 

Christ  on,  283,  286, 

287 
Definition,  284 

Henderson ,  C .  R . , 
284 
Efifect  of,  284-287 

Rauschenbusch , 
W.,  284,  285 
in  U.  S.,  285 
Waldron  on,  285 
Waldron  on  Wages  in  U.  S., 

285 
War,   see    International    con- 
troversies 
Ward,  Mrs.  H.,  on  Marriage 

and  divorce,  186 
Washington,    Physical    health 

law,  180 
Watts  on  Use  of  wealth,  287 


'Webster,  D.,  on  Christianity, 

13.  14 
Wealth,  245 

Accumulation  of,  254-266 
Christ  on,    254-259, 

264 
Credit,  258,  259 
Danger  in,  292,  293 
Honesty,  263,264 
Lincoln,  A.,  264 
Page,  E.  de,  263, 
264 
Misrepresentation, 

262,  263 
Monopoly,  260-263 
Giddings,    Prof., 
261,  262 
Morality  of,  292,  293 
Picture  on,  255,  256 
Prices,  259-263 
Sanitary    conditions, 
see  Sanitary 
Administration  of  ,266-276 
Anderson,  W.  B.,  266, 

267 
Clement,  266 
Cooley,  C.  H.,267 
Gambling,  268-270 
Harnack,  A.,  266 
Horse  -  racing,    268  - 

270 
Liquor,  268-270 
Luxuries,  271-273 
Baudrillat,     M., 

272 
Ely,  R.  T.,  272, 

273 
Laveleye,  M.  de., 

272 
Moran,    T.     F., 

272 
Say,  J.  N.,  272 
Senior,  Prof.,  271 
Smith,    A.,    271, 
272 
Social   vice,   268-270 
Thompson,  C.  B.,  267 
Van  Dyke,  J.  C,  267, 
268 


Index 


433 


Wealth  (Continued) 
Watts,  287 

Extravagances, 

270,  271 
Louis  XIV,,  270 
Attitude  toward,  251-254 

Christ's,  251-254 
Blessings  of,  280-287 

Carnegie,  A.,  280-282 
Christian,  280 
Club  rooms,  281-283 
Emil,  282 

Gjrmnasia,  282,  283 
Libraries,  281-283 
Minimum   wage,   see 
Wage 
Corporations,  see  Corpora- 
tions 
Credit,  see  Accumulation, 

id. 
Curses  of,  276-280 

Hoarding  of,  276,  277 
Inheritance  of,  277 
Tainted,  277-280 
Worship  of,  276 
Definition  of,  247 

Century    Dictionary, 

247 
Gun  ton,  G.,  247 
Jevons,  247 
Display  of,  273-276 

in  Babylon,   274-276 
in  Greece,  274-276 
in  Rome,  274-276 
in  U.  S.  273,  274 
Honesty,    see   Accumula- 
tion, id. 
Men  of,  250,  251 

Christ  on,  250,  251 
Misrepresentation,  see  Ac- 
cumxUation,  id. 


Monopoly,  see  Accumula- 
tion, id. 
Prices,  see  Accumulation, 

id. 
Private   ownership,   247- 
250 
Christ  on,  247-250 
Community  of  goods, 
248,  249 
Wey,   Dr.,  on  Criminals,  223 
White,    Rev.    E.,    Christ    a 

Socialist,  31 
Whitney,  Maj.,  on  Lincoln,  147 
Will,  freedom  of, 
Christ  on,  63 
Socialism  on,  63 

Labriola,  A.,  63 
La  Monte,  R.  R.,  63 
Willard,  F.  E.,  Christ  a  Social- 
ist, 31 
Wilson,  W.,  on  Work,  313 
Wise,  S.  S.,  on  Poverty,  392 
Wishart,  A.  W.,  on  Work,  311 
Work,  see  Labovu: 
World,  other, 

Christ,  82,  85 
Socialism,  82,  85 
Wright,  Dr.  C.  D.,  on  Marriage 
and  divorce,  182 
Arbitration,  327,  328 
Drinking,  395 
Marriage  and  divorce,  182 
Political    economy,    302, 

303 
Wright,  Gov.  R.,  on  Courage, 

14s 


Zueblin,  C,  on  Marriage  and 
divorce,  184,  185 


a8 


Ji  Selection  from  the 
Catalogue  of 

G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS 


Complete  Catalogue  sent 
on  application 


Vital  American  Problems 

An  Attempt  to  Solve  the  "  Trust,"  "Labor," 
and  "Negro"  Problems 

fify  Harry  Earl  Montgomery 

Crown  8vo.    $1.50  net.    By  mail,  $1.65 

Contents 

TRUST  PROBLEM 
I.  The  Problem. — II.  State  or  Federal  Control. — 
III.  The  Solution  :  Bureau  of  Corporations — Incorporation 
Tax — Liability  of  Stockholders  and  Directors — Prospectus  or 
Advertisement  —  Annual  Report  —  Annual  Examination  — 
Property  Taxed  Locally — Tax  on  Profits — Valuation  of  Assets 
— Actions — Departmental  Expenses. — IV.  Feasibility  of 
Plan. 

FREIGHT-RATE  PROBLEM 
GOVERNMENT  OWNERSHIP 
I.     The  Problem. — II.     The  Solution  :  State  Corpora- 
tion Department — Tax  on  Charters — Property  Tax — Duties 
and  Powers  of  Superintendent — Graduated  Profit  Tax — Ten- 
Year  Averaging. 

LABOR  PROBLEM 
I.  The  Problem.— II.  The  Solution:  (Plan  I)— (Plan  II). 

NEGRO  PROBLEM 
I.  The  Problem. — II.  The  Solution:  Education:  a. 
Universal  Education — b.  Elementary  Schools — c.  Colleges — 
d.  Manual  Training-^^.  Manual  Training  for  Girls — f. 
Religion  (Religious  Influence)  —  (Religious  Education)  — 
(Churches).  Ideals — PouTics— Social  Equality — Fed- 
eral Aid — Conclusion. 


"  It  is  not  often  that  the  troubling  economic  and  social  questions  of  our 
time  and  country  are  handled,  in  an  extended  discussion  of  them,  with  as 
much  fairness  of  mind,  carefulness  of  study,  clearness  of  thought,  and 
felicity  of  expression  as  we  find  in  this  volume  by  Mr.  Harry  Earl  Mont- 
gomery."— J.  N.  Larked  in  Bujfalo  Express. 

'*  A  sane  and  thoughtful  contribution  to  the  great  questions  which  the 
American  people  are  facing." — Nenv  York  Times. 

"  A  useful  Dook,  both  because  of  its  clarity  of  statement  and  its  sug- 
gestiveness." — The  Outlook. 

"  Serious  study  and  sound  reasoning  mark  the  work  and  make  it  one 
for  the  thoughtful." — Denver  Republican. 

"  A  book  to  arouse  thought  and  to  educate  the  public  mind  along 
needed  lines." — Chicago  Interior. 

*'  A  notable  contribution  to  the  economic  and  social  literature  of  the 
period." — St.  Louis  Post-Despatch. 


Ml 


THE  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

Santa  Barbara 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW. 


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